AUKUS security pact fuels concerns among Australian public

An independent, public inquiry in Australia has raised sovereignty, safety and other concerns over a major trilateral security pact that the country has with the United Kingdom and the United States, or AUKUS, which includes Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines in the sharing of advanced military technology and capabilities.

At the Sydney hearing of the inquiry held in the New South Wales Parliament House complex on Aug 10, Peter Garrett, the inquiry's lead commissioner, told China Daily it wanted to "give everyday Australians the opportunity to ask questions and be heard" on the "largest-ever defence decision, AUKUS, that any Australian government has made".

"It's a large sum of money to be spent in partnership with other countries but with no guarantees that it will actually provide any more security for us, so it deserves to be fully examined," Garrett, who was Australia's environment minister from 2007 to 2010, said.

According to Australia's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the country, through AUKUS, is "steadily building capabilities across government and industry to steward and operate our own fleet of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines from the early 2030s".

The public inquiry, which is coordinated by the Australian Peace and Security Forum nonprofit think tank and includes hearings in other cities like Melbourne and Adelaide, includes former members of parliament, retired military officers, academics and union leaders. It has also received more than 500 written submissions from the public.

Key issues and areas of AUKUS that the inquiry is examining include the viability of an estimated A$368 billion ($260 billion) price tag over the next few decades that covers the submarines, which makes it the most expensive defense project of its kind for Australia.

The inquiry is also asking whether AUKUS is "locking Australia further into the US war machine at the expense of our independence as a middle power".

In May, the three AUKUS defense ministers said in a joint statement that Australia would acquire three second-hand Virginia-class, nuclear-powered submarines from the US, instead of at least two used and one new Virginia-class submarine expected under the initial 2021 AUKUS deal announced during then-Australian prime minister Scott Morrison's tenure.

The ministers also acknowledged Australia's planned investments for related infrastructure and logistics support at naval facilities in Western Australia and South Australia states.

At the Sydney hearing on Monday, Australia's former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said "AUKUS involves a colossal sacrifice of sovereignty, there's no question about that".

"The argument has been that in return for this sacrifice of sovereignty Australia will get more security, but everything points to the fact that we will be less secure," Turnbull, who was prime minister from September 2015 to August 2018, said.

"And what exquisite timing; AUKUS has made Australia more reliant, more dependent on the United States right at that time in history when the United States, not by accident, not by carelessness, but by design has become less dependable," he said.

"If the goal of this project is to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, every indication is that we won't get them. The Americans are not producing enough for their own navy, let alone ours. The British shipbuilding industry is in disarray, the British are more aware of that than anyone," Turnbull said.

Australia's former foreign minister (2012 to 2013) Bob Carr also highlighted, under the AUKUS deal, "the prospect that we may end up in the 2030s without a sovereign submarine capacity".

"A huge miscalculation … would leave us in that position," he said.

Eminent university professor Jocelyn Chey told Monday's public inquiry she was against AUKUS.

"Without any reservations, I think AUKUS should be scrapped. That might seem a little provocative in today's security climate but I don't say this without reason. I say it based on my career that has spanned more than half a century working in academia, government and the private sector," said Chey, whose work covers international relations.

"My life's work … it tells me that if there is hostility, that creates suspicion; and that a focus on common concerns is the way to dispel misunderstanding and build trust," she said.

Nick Deane, convenor of a local community group promoting peace, said he had not yet heard of any logical reason for AUKUS.

"There's no denying that AUKUS is a massive, monumental undertaking. Surely the first step in such an enormous project should've been an irrefutable expression of the need for it, especially in view of the enormous expense," he said.

"As far as I can tell, no clear expression of what that need is has been forthcoming in the nearly five years since that 2021 announcement."

According to the inquiry's website, it will produce a report that "examines AUKUS on its merits" by October based on the submissions and views received.