CANBERRA, Nov. 4 — An independent inquiry has called for the Australian government to immediately terminate the AUKUS treaty, describing the pact as the riskiest defense decision in national history.
Former government minister Peter Garrett and former Australian Defense Force chief Chris Barrie, two of the five commissioners conducting the public inquiry into AUKUS, presented the final report at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra on Wednesday, concluding that the landmark security pact does not serve Australia well and should be scrapped.
After receiving more than 1,000 submissions and conducting 10 days of public hearings around the country, the final report said that the inquiry did not uncover any “convincing foundations” for AUKUS.
“We concluded that AUKUS is the worst, riskiest and most costly defense decision ever made by an Australian government,” the report said.
“AUKUS jeopardizes our sovereignty, further entangles us with U.S. war planning and actually endangers our security.”
The report made 16 recommendations, including that Australia immediately terminate pillar one of the AUKUS deal, under which Australia would acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines in the 2030s and 2040s, due to current delivery schedules “most likely” being unachievable.
Additionally, it said that plans for a U.S. naval base near Perth in Western Australia should be suspended until “critical questions” regarding nuclear security and health and environmental safety for the local population are fully examined.
The independent inquiry was established after successive federal governments ruled out holding a major public review of the pact.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Tuesday after meeting with British counterpart Andy Burnham in the Caribbean that work on AUKUS is progressing very well.(Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
