Australia’s AUKUS reckoning

Americans just delivered what should be a big warning to Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles and Penny Wong. They all seem to like taking selfies with the Trump Regime counterparts. But here's the thing, anger about Trump's colossal spending on war and its impacts on the petrol pump and grocery prices has driven a backlash against him and his MAGA Republicans. Voters wanted relief from the pressures on their lives. Not war and higher bills.

Here in Australia, Anthony Albanese's Labor government remains determined to spend $368 billion on AUKUS. Most of it will be handed over to the US or the UK for second-hand nuclear powered submarines that we may never get. That’s an extraordinary commitment of public money, with consequences that stretch across generations. We all know that every dollar counts - especially when inflation is running high and families are struggling. Yet when it comes to AUKUS, Anthony Albanese seems remarkably comfortable committing sums that could transform almost any other area of public policy and our lives.

We’re buying a very expensive way to make Australia less safe!

On 4 November, the independent AUKUS Public Inquiry released its report, Surrendering Australia: The AUKUS Deception. It calls for AUKUS to be terminated. I contributed one of more than 1,000 submissions. Testimony also came from more than 150 witnesses across eight cities. This was a substantial exercise in community-based public scrutiny of a decision whose costs and risks to Australia are huge.

The government reckons we need nuclear-powered submarines to keep us safe. But that argument just doesn’t stack up. And here’s the other thing Labor and LNP politicians like to disregard - the word “defence” should not exempt expenditure from scrutiny. The opportunity cost of AUKUS is enormous. Money committed to submarines is money unavailable for other priorities like housing, high-speed rail, nature conservation and education. Think about what investment of $365 billion could achieve in affordable housing, Medicare, public education, aged care, and community services. Think about the benefits of reducing household energy costs, preparing communities for extreme weather and protecting the ecosystems on which our lives depend.

Our government is allocating immense resources for this programme far into the future, while Australians are being asked to accept limits on what can be done about our needs today. Cancelling AUKUS wouldn’t magically lower supermarket prices. But it would create room for different spending priorities over time. Australians deserve an honest debate about that.

As a D’harawal man, I also question the narrow understanding of security that dominates this debate. The inquiry’s website features this line from my submission: “The oldest continuous cultures on Earth have something to teach contemporary Australia about security.” For me, security includes healthy Country, strong communities, reliable food and water, and relationships built on respect and reciprocity. It includes a liveable climate and the ability to care for one another. A submarine can’t stop a bushfire, make a home affordable or restore a dying river. Those responsibilities still need resources, however much we spend on military capability.

So American voters sent a warning about what happens when governments lose sight of citizens' daily lives. Aussie voters want affordable groceries and housing, better aged care, and a secure future for our kids and Country. If Anthony Albanese keeps telling us those things are too expensive while continuing to waste billions on AUKUS, an electoral reckoning will follow.

Because, every major security commitment should have to demonstrate how it makes Australians safer - and why it deserves priority over the alternatives.

Read the AUKUS Public Inquiry report and explore the submissions. Share it with others. And send it to your local MP and senators asking three questions:

• Do you support continuing AUKUS in light of the inquiry’s findings?

• How will you demonstrate that its benefits justify the immense costs and risks?

• What investments in Australians’ everyday security are we forgoing to pay for it?

Our money. Our security. Our future. Our politicians owe us answers.👇🏽