Labor backbencher Ed Husic has urged for a new vote on the future of the AUKUS submarine pact as former environment minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett announces plans for an independent inquiry.
Renewed scrutiny of the multinational alliance comes after it was revealed Australia will likely receive three second-hand nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines under the deal, rather than the initially promised two used and one new sub.
The US navy submarines were intended as a stopgap to boost the Australian navy’s capability before the delivery of AUKUS-class nuclear submarines from about 2042. Speaking on Sky News, Mr Husic said “the reality is this deal has changed”.
“It’s not the deal that we agreed to way back when, and the reason the deal is changing is because … in the US they cannot produce at the rate that they want to and at the rate we need them to. That is the reality,” he said.
Mr Husic blamed the delay in US production on a mix of factors, including workforce shortages, supply chain constraints, and quality concerns.
“While we put forward $3bn 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,” he said.
While not outright calling for a new caucus vote, Mr Husic said the deal “should be rethought”. He denied such a move would “undermine the alliance (with the US) in any shape or form but is a reflection of reality”, and warned the deal as it stood could impact sovereignty.
“Given how transactional the Trump administration is, you can almost imagine them saying, ‘We give you these, you will do this with them’, and so there’s an active sovereignty question there,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Treasurer Jim Chalmers refused to answer a question about a Labor MP who criticised the AUKUS agreement during a closed-door caucus meeting. “We support the AUKUS arrangements and I don’t get into the details of discussions in the parliamentary (party room),” he said.
Defence Minister Pat Conroy told The Australian that Labor had a clear mandate for AUKUS. “It has been through a thorough review process including as part of the Defence Strategic Review. We took it to the last election and we won 94 seats. The debate has been had and the debate has been won,” he said.
Meanwhile, a public inquiry will aim to scrutinise the impact of the $368bn defence deal on Australia’s security and potential consequences for the nation’s relationship with China. Mr Garrett will assume the role of lead commissioner. He will be joined by four additional commissioners – ex-ADF Admiral Chris Barrie, former WA Labor premier Carmen Lawrence, The Australia Institute co-chief executive Leanne Minshull and International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Australia ambassador Karina Lester.
The inquiry is backed by not-for-profit Australian Peace and Security Forum. The investigation – supported by independents David Pocock and Andrew Wilkie – will take written submissions, hold public hearings and consultation before delivering its final report by October 30.
According to its publicly available terms of reference, the investigation will address questions including the implications of Australia’s nuclear capability – acquired through AUKUS – on its relationship with China, and the likelihood of submarines being delivered on time and budget. Potential nuclear accidents and storage issues, as well as non-proliferation and employment issues will also be included in deliberations.
“AUKUS is by far the most expensive and complex undertaking ever entered into by any Australian government and yet the opportunity to question, debate and decide has been taken out of the hands of the parliament and the people,” Mr Garrett, a longtime environment campaigner, said in a statement. “A public inquiry into this massive spend of taxpayer’s money is long overdue.”
The announcement comes days after Defence Minister Richard Marles revealed Australia will only receive second-hand Virginia-class submarines from the US, instead of the mix of old and new vessels agreed upon in the original deal. Speaking on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Mr Marles told reporters on Sunday the decision to buy old vessels came from a need to “place a premium on simplicity”. He said having a mix of submarines within the navy fleet would have made operations “pretty complicated”.
“What we will have here is a much simpler pathway,” he said. “It will mean that the Virginia class submarines that we are acquiring will all be of the same type. And I cannot overstate the significance of that, both in terms of the submariners who are operating them, but also the people who are working on them to sustain those submarines. Chasing simplicity is at the heart of why we have pursued this.”
