Former Labor environment minister Peter Garrett has lashed the Aukus nuclear submarine deal, calling the former Coalition administration’s decision “the most costly and risky action ever taken by any Australian government” and saying Anthony Albanese’s decision to back it was a departure from established ALP policy.
The Midnight Oil frontman and longtime nuclear disarmament activist claimed the $368 billion deal “stinks”, suggesting the money could be better spent and raising concerns about how Australia will dispose of nuclear waste from the boats.
“Has Defence ever delivered a major construction or weapons delivery program on time and on budget? Not once in living memory,” Garrett said in a four-page statement released on Friday.
“Ask any Australian how they would spend this amount of public money to make Australia a fairer, safer, kinder nation and I doubt the answer would be nuclear subs.”
Garrett, who served as Labor MP for Kingsford Smith between 2004 and 2013, has in recent days tweeted criticism of the Aukus deal. As announced by Prime Minister Albanese in San Diego this week, Australia will acquire up to five US-made Virginia-class nuclear subs, before eight locally-built Aukus-class submarines come into service.
Former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull have also savaged the plan this week.
The 30-year project, which also includes American submarines being stationed in Australia and the construction of new nuclear submarine bases, is currently expected to cost between $268bn and $368bn, or 0.15% of GDP per year on average.
The Sydney Morning Herald first reported on Friday that Garrett had written a statement opposing Aukus. That statement, later provided to Guardian Australia, criticises the Labor government for backing the Aukus deal struck under the former Coalition government, saying it should have faced more public scrutiny.
“Scott Morrison’s decision to build nuclear submarines in partnership with northern hemisphere former imperial powers was the most costly and risky action ever taken by any Australian government and should not have been allowed to stand,” Garrett wrote.
“At the very least, ratifying an undertaking of this magnitude should have been subject to thorough scrutiny and debate through all levels of the Australian Labor party, and in the public realm. Instead the original announcement, made in secret by three national leaders, two of whom have already left office, has now been given effect by a Labor government.”
In the statement – titled “Aukus stinks and that’s an understatement” – Garrett stresses he doesn’t share Keating’s “benign” view of China, and that he didn’t want to “impugn my former colleagues who face difficult decisions as they deal with an increasingly unstable region”.
“Still this is a marked departure from at least half a century of foreign policy leadership in which the ALP has prioritised engagement with our neighbours over the outdated ‘Big Powers’ approach typically favoured by those who prefer the rear view mirror to the windscreen,” Garrett wrote.
Raising concerns over the disposal of nuclear waste from the submarines, Garrett said: “God help future generations, especially if they happen to live in the outback or near an existing – or future – defence facility, or if they consume primary products impacted by radioactive leaks into land or water.”
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“Has this cost been factored into the $368 billion price tag? A figure that will inevitably skyrocket in the years to come.”
While publicly the Labor party’s politicians have been united in support for Aukus, Guardian Australia understands some local Labor branches are considering proposing motions condemning the subs deal.
Greens leader Adam Bandt on Friday urged critics of the Aukus deal to “maintain the rage”, pointing to the opposition within some parts of the Labor and trade union networks.
“It’s great to see so many good people within the Labor grassroots and union movement speaking out against the terrible subs deal,” he tweeted.
“The $368 billion price tag will be used as an excuse for not spending money on housing, income support, or social services – and will only make Australia less safe.”
At a Sydney press conference, Albanese defended the decision to purchase nuclear submarines
“As an island continent, submarines are a vital piece of our defence framework. And the truth is that nuclear submarines are far superior than conventional submarines,” he said.
Following Keating’s strong criticism of foreign minister Penny Wong, Albanese said he believed she would “go down as Australia’s greatest foreign minister when history looks back”.
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2023-03-17 08:45:00Z
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