Australia blasted for new Aukus deal over nuclear waste fears - ‘blow to sovereignty’

A part of the deal involves a transfer of nuclear material to Australia, which has sparked anger among some politicians and green activists

Reading Time:4 minutes

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, British Ambassador to the USA Karen Pierce and US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell sign the Aukus agreement for cooperation related to naval nuclear propulsion in Washington DC, on August 5. Photo: Australia’s government

Published: 5:05pm, 12 Aug 2024Updated: 5:08pm, 12 Aug 2024

Australia has signed a new agreement with the US and the UK that would allow not just an exchange of naval nuclear propulsion information as part of Aukus, but also the transfer of nuclear material to Australia, a move that critics warn could lead to dumping of the radioactive material in the country.

Critics are also concerned over its secrecy and Australia cosying up to the US, particularly after a letter by US President Joe Biden to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate president last week revealed a further side agreement of “additional related political commitments” between the Aukus countries.

The additional commitments were not mentioned in the official agreement tabled in the Australian parliament on Monday, which replaced an earlier agreement allowing just the exchange of naval nuclear propulsion information.

The controversial Aukus deal, which involved the manufacture and supply of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, has long raised eyebrows since its surprise announcement in 2021 due to the proposed use of nuclear power in the region, the steep A$368 billion (US$242 billion) cost to Australian taxpayers and perceptions as a platform to counter China.

Last Friday, former Australian prime minister Paul Keating, said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Aukus could sell Australia out as “the 51st state of the United States” after information about the new agreement started trickling in following the announcement from Washington.

“What Aukus is about in the American mind is locking us up for 40 years, with American bases all around Australia, not Australian bases. Aukus is really about – in American terms – the military control of Australia,” he said.