AUKUS inquiry recommends scrapping Pillar 1 submarine deal

A crowd-funded Public Inquiry into AUKUS has released a 113-page report, titled “Surrendering Australia – The AUKUS Deception,” calling for the immediate scrapping of AUKUS Pillar 1. The report describes the military agreement as the “worst, riskiest and most costly defence decision ever made by an Australian government.”

Lead Commissioner Peter Garrett stated that the partnership fails to meet its stated aims and compromises national security and sovereignty. The inquiry noted that the deal could cost up to half a trillion dollars when including nuclear waste management and expressed concern that the United States and United Kingdom could withdraw from submarine deliveries while still benefiting from Australian funding.

The report includes 17 recommendations, such as the need for a comprehensive National Security Strategy, the suspension of plans for a US naval base near Perth, and an urgent audit by the Australian National Audit Office. It also suggests that Pillar II should be renegotiated and calls for a Royal Commission to investigate how the pact was conceived.