Labor MP Ed Husic has split with the Prime Minister to demand the Albanese government “rethink” its support for the AUKUS agreement. The maverick backbencher spoke out during Labor’s caucus meeting on Tuesday, calling on Mr Albanese to give MPs another vote on whether they support the trilateral defence pact.
“The reality is this deal has changed. It's not the deal that we agreed to way back when,” Mr Husic said. The Labor caucus initially voted to back AUKUS when Coalition Prime Minister Scott Morrison first negotiated the agreement with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The deal involves Australia acquiring three US-built Virginia-class nuclear submarines by the early 2030s, with additional yet-to-be-developed AUKUS-class nuclear submarines to be delivered during the 2040s.
However, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced on Sunday that instead of Australia acquiring two second-hand Virginia-class nuclear submarines and a third straight off the production line, all three boats would be second-hand, built between 2020 and 2026. Mr Husic said this change was a result of the US failing to meet its production targets, despite Australia investing $3 billion into the sector.
“What was put to us originally by the Morrison government is not what we're getting now, and conceivably not what we will get,” Mr Husic said. “And the reason the deal is changing is because the US cannot produce nuclear submarines at the rate that they want to and at the rate we need them to. Since 2022, what's been pumped out in terms of production of these Virginia-class subs is between 1.1 to 1.2 subs a year. The Navy wants it at 2 – it'll probably get there, maybe in the early 2030s to meet a broader goal that they have of 2.33 a year.”
The Labor MP argued that Australia needed to rethink the deal because it was possible the country would not even receive the nuclear submarines promised. “It should be rethought, because based on the production rates, based on reality, this is going to be forced on us. So we should be rethinking,” he said. “They've got two shipyards only that build these subs; they have workforce shortages, they have supply chain constraints, they have quality concerns, and there's the complexity of the build as well. The mix of those things drives the production rate, and while they are investing in capability, and while we put forward $3 billion to invest in that capability – and that may make some difference – it's still an active question about whether or not we'll even get the three.”
Shadow defence minister James Paterson urged the Albanese government to pull Mr Husic into line to avoid the US questioning Australia's commitment to the alliance. “Richard Marles needs to show leadership when he's back in Australia today. He needs to haul Ed Husic into line and demonstrate that the Labor government is 100 per cent behind AUKUS and will deliver it on time and on budget, as promised,” Senator Paterson said. He added that Mr Husic was one of many Labor figures and organisations opposed to AUKUS, including MP Josh Wilson, former cabinet ministers Peter Garrett and Carmel Lawrence, former prime minister Paul Keating, key Labor unions, and Labor branches.
“It is very clear that the Labor grassroots is questioning this government's ability to deliver AUKUS and even going as far as questioning whether or not we should proceed with AUKUS at all,” Senator Paterson said. “It's not in Australia's national interest for that to be undermined anymore. I want the Deputy Prime Minister to show leadership and haul his caucus and his supporters into line.”
Mr Husic denied he was undermining the AUKUS agreement by raising questions, telling Sky News there were “hard questions” that needed to be asked. Senator Paterson acknowledged it was “absolutely legitimate” to raise questions about the government’s delivery of AUKUS and the details of the agreement, but argued that Mr Husic had gone further. “What is much more concerning is to have a former cabinet minister still in the Labor caucus questioning the merits of AUKUS altogether, and to suggest that it should be reopened for a caucus result,” he said. “How would that be interpreted in foreign capitals, in Washington DC, in London, in Beijing? We do not need any questions at all about the government's commitment to the delivery of AUKUS.”
