AUKUS nuclear waste costs? Government: we know but we’re not saying
The government has calculated preliminary costs for the treatment and storage of high-level radioactive waste from AUKUS submarines. They just aren’t willing to share the costs with those who have to pay. Rex Patrick reports.
according to Defensive Capability HandbookWhen Defense proposes a capability acquisition to the Government, it needs to present multiple options and their total cost of ownership.
In last year’s Senate Estimates, Senator Lidia Thorpe asked about AUKUS’ radioactive waste costs: “There is no costing yet; Is this true??”
Vice Admiral Jonathon Mead, head of the Australian Submarine Service, responded: “This is true”.
This means that the total cost of ownership of AUKUS is never actually calculated. We know that AUKUS’ price tag is $368 billion, but that price does not include radioactive waste storage and disposal.
Whatever this extra cost is, it will be huge.
Trillion dollar AUKUS subscription plus nuclear waste forever?
Total cost of ownership
It seems that last year the Government decided it might be a good idea to figure out how much it would cost to deal with AUKUS waste.
MWM He informed the Australian Submarine Agency that:Cost estimates for a solution for the processing and storage of high-level radioactive waste from AUKUS”.
A Defense FOI decision maker responded to the request by advising:I identified a document that falls within the scope of the request.” He then went on to advise that MWM and the Australian public failed to see this.
Figure 1 – You can’t see the nuclear waste costs (Source: Defense FOI)
While the decision maker may be concerned that the information is preliminary (even though the Government could stamp the document as “preliminary”), access to preliminary information is surely better than no information at all for those who have to pay for it (you and me), right?
Maybe this is a case of “we can’t handle the truth”. The number will be large.
Senate change
The Australian Submarine Agency featured in the Senate Estimates this week.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge decided to try his luck by obtaining cost data. The agency was not very cooperative.
Vice Admiral Mead informed the Senate that his Agency was only in the “early stages” of the costing process. Chief Financial Officer Ms. Marlena Davis testified that although the Agency did not make any national security claims in the FOI decision, the FOI document contained “initial data collection” that was “for deliberative purposes” and was also “national security information.”
Senator Shoebridge requested that the document be presented to the Senate. Minister Jenny McAllister agreed to consider his request but also noted the Treasurer’s arguments.
So we have no idea what the cost will be after all this. The only thing we can be sure of is that no matter what happens, it will be you and me who will pay the price.
AUKUS waste plans. The hitchhiker’s guide to nuclear approvals
Rex Patrick is a former South Australian Senator and formerly a submariner in the armed forces. Known as an anti-corruption and transparency warrior, Rex is also known as “Transparency Warrior“
