Why wartime Australia might build a carrier before a cruiser

Would more Australian wartime infrastructure produce an indigenous cruiser?

Probably not; a small aircraft carrier using destroyer-grade machinery would better match Australian industrial capabilities.

Australia considered escort-carrier ideas, and a ship of roughly 10,000 to 15,000 tons could draw on destroyer-grade boilers and machinery already within reach of local industry. A cruiser would demand a more specialized propulsion and industrial base. The likely path is therefore a modest carrier program before a wholly Australian cruiser design.