Peter Garrett will lead a five-month independent, community-based inquiry into the Aukus defence pact, with a final report due by 30 October. The inquiry will hold public hearings and accept written submissions as part of its investigation.
The inquiry is convened under the auspices of the Australian Peace and Security Forum and is supported by trade unions and non-profit organisations. It aims to examine key aspects of the Aukus agreement, which involves Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines through a partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom.
Garrett told Guardian Australia: “This inquiry is doing the job that a proper parliamentary inquiry should be doing. How is it that there’s been inquiries about the submarine program in other countries and we haven’t had a full parliamentary inquiry here?” He previously described the Aukus plan as something that “stinks” and called it “the most costly and risky action ever taken by any Australian government.”
The inquiry’s terms of reference include assessing whether the submarines can be delivered on time and within budget, how nuclear waste will be managed, and whether Australia’s defence and strategic interests are well served by the deal. It will also consider broader issues such as the rise of China, the prospect of conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, nuclear non-proliferation, employment impacts, and environmental consequences.
Australia has not identified a permanent storage site for the nuclear waste generated by the future submarine fleet. This includes high-level radioactive waste from reactor cores and spent fuel, which will remain toxic for thousands of years. The inquiry will examine this unresolved issue as part of its environmental and safety assessment.
The Aukus pact was first announced in 2021 under the former Morrison government. Under the agreement, Australia is funding upgrades to the U.S. defence industrial base and is scheduled to begin receiving secondhand nuclear submarines in 2032.