Australia鈥檚 minister for weapons corporations Richard Marles thinks it鈥檚 鈥溾 for the United States to review the AUKUS military pact, but doesn鈥檛 believe Australia should, despite growing opposition to Labor鈥檚 dangerous embrace of Scott Morrison鈥檚 effort to please American hawks.
The Pentagon revealed it would review the AUKUS military pact on June 12, ostensibly to ensure it 鈥渁ligns鈥 to US President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥淎merica First鈥 agenda.
This could form part of Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth鈥檚 campaign to get US allies to boost military spending to 3.5% of the country鈥檚 gross domestic product (GDP), or it could be the White House deciding to go with AUKUS 鈥淧lan B鈥.
The independent Congressional Research Service has already said the US has a critical backlog and not enough nuclear attack submarines.
Its 鈥淧lan B鈥 is to turn Australia into a giant base for a US nuclear submarine force. In other words, if the US can't help Australia get its own nuclear-powered submarines, it will just turn Australia into a giant base for the US fleet.
Labor鈥檚 bipartisan positioning in support of AUKUS and the obsequiousness it has shown to Trump's administration聽make this Plan B a real possibility.
Labor鈥檚 gifting of billions of dollars from the public purse to weapons contractors for nuclear-powered submarines (that may never arrive) and for public universities to help weapons contractors design even more lethal weapons, is broadly opposed.
Almost half the respondents to聽 after Trump鈥檚 election win聽last November said they wanted AUKUS reviewed.
While the US, China, Russia, Germany and India are the biggest military spenders, Australia ranked seventh on the Lowy Institute鈥檚 2024 .听
The hawks in Australia who, ironically, are screaming about the world becoming more dangerous, want Labor to spend more than the current $56 billion a year, just over 2% of GDP. During the election campaign,聽 to raising spending as a percentage of GDP to 2.4% and the Liberals to 3% within a decade.
Moving up to 3.5% would require major cuts to social spending and higher taxes on those least able to pay more, and neither major party would want to fight an election with such policies.
Marles already told Hegseth at the military talkfest at the end of May, known as the Shangri-la Dialogue, that he is 鈥渙pen鈥 to spending more on defence. : 鈥淲e are absolutely up for having this conversation, and we want to calibrate our defence spending to meet the strategic moment that we all face.鈥
that 鈥淎ustralia acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability under the banner of AUKUS is essential to our national security and will play a part in providing geostrategic balance in the Indo-Pacific鈥.听
Further, he confirmed AUKUS was about a possible future war with China because 鈥淐hina鈥檚 decision to pursue rapid nuclear modernisation and expansion 鈥 aims in part to reach parity with or surpass the United States鈥.
Labor鈥檚 decision to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump and Hegseth should be sending shockwaves to all those who value human rights, sovereignty and the rule of law. Marles鈥 argument that defence is 鈥渄eterrence鈥 is false. Labor has still not signed the , despite its many promises and Marles bemoaning 鈥渘ew proliferation cycles鈥 in Europe and Asia.
If you agree we need to scrap AUKUS and instead spend the billions on housing, welfare and climate action, become a 一品探花 supporter and help build the movements that can win real change.