When US President Joe Biden announced he would not stand for another term, Australia’s political leaders expressed their gratitude for his contribution to public life. But this week, Australian voters had something else for which to be grateful to Biden.

For it was only as a result of a letter he wrote to the US Congress that we found that the AUKUS agreement had been updated, allowing for naval nuclear propulsion plants – rather than just nuclear propulsion “information” – to be transferred to Australia.