Port Kembla still under review for AUKUS nuclear submarine base, NSW says

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said he would not rule out Port Kembla as a preferred site for an east‑coast nuclear submarine base under the AUKUS partnership, but stressed that any decision is "many years down the track" and that the federal government will not consider a location until the next decade.

Planning Minister Paul Scully echoed that the state government is not currently undertaking any work on a base at Port Kembla, noting that a cost‑benefit analysis released in secret documents had listed the port as the preferred location but that the federal stance remains unchanged. Union leaders, the South Coast Labour Council and Greens politician Abigail Boyd have called for the site to be ruled out, warning of perceived risk, housing market impacts and community opposition.

Both officials emphasized that selection of an east‑coast site will restart with a full process when the federal government revisits the issue, while community groups continue to push for a definitive exclusion of Port Kembla.