Could Australia crew an old battleship while waiting for a new one?

Would Australia ask for an older battleship as an interim ship?

A request is unlikely while existing manpower shortages made another large crew difficult to provide.

The estimate allows at least two years to find and prepare roughly a thousand additional people. Accepting a loan before that work was done could leave the ship idle. By the time a crew was available, the intended new ship might be nearing completion. The limitation is Australia's ability to use an interim ship, rather than a definite British refusal to supply one.