Friendly fire: Labor figures question AUKUS commitment
A former party minister has launched a “public inquiry” into the deal, while a Labor MP has broken ranks to call for a rethink of the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.
After asking whether Labor’s original commitment to the deal still remained at a special caucus meeting in Canberra on Tuesday, Labor backbencher Ed Husic went public with his reservations about the military deal following the announcement that Australia would only buy second-hand submarines from the US.
“You wonder whether we can get the deal done, including the restructured deal,” Mr Husic told reporters at Parliament House.
Originally Australia was to acquire a mix of new and used Virginia Class ships before building its own in Adelaide, but now the defense force will only receive used submarines.
Defense Minister Richard Marles defended the move, saying it would make delivery of AUKUS simpler and cheaper, but Mr Husic was skeptical of that logic.
“He should have said that under the circumstances,” Mr. Husic said.
The Labor MP, who was science and industry minister before being booted from cabinet in a factional power play in 2025, said Australia needed to be open about the workforce shortages, supply chain challenges and quality issues facing the AUKUS agreement.
Mr. Husic had previously broken with his colleagues over the recognition of the Palestinian state, the war in Gaza and the taxation of gas.
Husic’s comments come after former Labor Minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett announced plans on Tuesday to launch a “public inquiry” into AUKUS and investigate the deal’s implications for the country’s security.
The former environment minister said the crowdfunded inquiry, being conducted separately from the government, would examine whether the ships would make Australia safer, the storage of nuclear waste and potential long-term strategic implications.
“This is not a royal commission, it’s a people’s inquiry,” Mr Garrett told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
Mr Garrett said he hoped the government would be among those involved in the inquiry and welcomed submissions from people with a range of political views.
“The AUKUS decision is the most significant and expensive decision ever made by any Australian government in the modern era,” he said.
The rock star-turned-politician named retired admiral Chris Barrie, former Western Australian premier Carmen Lawrence, Yankunytjatjara woman Karina Lester and Australia Institute co-chair Leanne Minshull as “commissioners” of the inquiry.
Mr Barrie, who was head of the defense force between 1998 and 2002, said it was important to take a comprehensive look at Australia’s defense commitments and its alliance with the US and UK.
“My fear is that the types of spending, the types of workforce, and the way we support something like AUKUS could deplete other parts of our defense force,” he said.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers did not take issue when asked about Mr Husic’s contribution during Labor’s caucus meeting.
“We support the AUKUS regulations and I’m not going into the details of the discussions in the parliamentary party,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Western Australian Labor MP Josh Wilson has also previously raised questions about the nuclear submarine deal.
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