Former Australian foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans has described the Aukus nuclear submarine deal as one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions ever made by an Australian government. Speaking at an independent public inquiry into the $368bn agreement, Evans warned that the submarines would effectively serve as an extension of the US military fleet and that a future US administration would not defend Australia in an existential crisis.
Evans, a cabinet minister under Labor governments in the 1980s and 1990s, told the inquiry that the belief that the US would sacrifice San Francisco for Sydney was a “ludicrous delusion”. He argued that the US would only assist if its own assets on Australian soil were threatened, and that the deal was permitted by Donald Trump solely to counter Chinese nuclear threats to the US mainland.
The inquiry also heard from Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, co-founder of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, who said Aukus would exacerbate regional tensions and make Australia a higher priority target for nuclear attack. Ruff highlighted concerns over the use of weapons-grade uranium and the unresolved issue of managing high-level radioactive waste over geological timescales.
The public inquiry, backed by trade unions and the Australian Peace and Security Forum, is led by commissioners including former Labor minister Peter Garrett and former defence chief Chris Barrie. It will hold hearings across Australia before reporting in October. Current Labor ministers have accused the inquiry of being biased against Aukus from the outset.
