Anti-nuclear Labor party members heckle Albanese Government ministers during tense AUKUS debate
Labor members have launched a scathing attack on the AUKUS security pact, warning the submarines would “drive open” the nuclear industry in Australia, were too costly and create deadly waste.
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Labor members have launched a scathing attack on the AUKUS security pact, warning the submarines would “drive open” the nuclear industry in Australia, were too costly and create deadly waste.
Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy were heckled as they spoke to allay the fears of members and unions opposed to the take up of nuclear technology during a tense debate over the Albanese Government’s support for the AUKUS submarines.
Union leaders, a government MP and pro-environmental Labor members were among the members who spoke against the submarine deal, criticising its $368 billion cost, use of toxic nuclear energy and risk of triggering a war.
Mr Marles sought to quell division over the AUKUS by proposing a statement of detail commending the benefits of the pact to be added to Labor’s national platform.
“If we take submarines off the table, we will never have left our country more exposed,” he said.
“That will undermine the whole idea of Australian self-reliance.”
Mr Marles said turning to nuclear propulsion technology was a “hard choice,” but in the context of Australia’s national interest and security situation was “actually a clear choice”.
“Our submarines are easily the most important platform that we operate,” he said.
Mr Marles said while Australia’s current diesel-fuelled Collins Class submarines currently provided a “genuine question mark” in the minds of Australia’s adversaries, this capability would diminish as technology advanced.
“In the future, diesel electric submarines will become increasingly detectable,” he said.
“And so if we want to have this capability in the future, then we simply have to take the step of nuclear propulsion.”
More than a dozen Labor delegates and observers on the conference floor intermittently shouted anti-war and anti-nuclear comments as Mr Marles spoke.
Electrical Trade Union (ETU) boss Michael Wright then spoke against enshrining AUKUS and nuclear-powered submarines in the Labor party’s national platform.
Mr Wright warned as the “political wheel turns” the Coalition would use AUKUS as a wedge to “finally drive open a nuclear industry in Australia”.
He criticised the $368 billion price tag of the AUKUS submarines and questioned what would be done with the deadly nuclear waste once the engines were no longer in use.
Despite his opposition, Mr Wright said the debate at national conference was not a sign of “division” or “discord”.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy defended AUKUS, arguing while Labor was anti-war, it was a “fact” a challenge to the rules based order was underway, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s crackdown in Hong Kong.
“Strength deters war, appeasement invites conflict,” he said.
Mr Conroy said those who claimed Australia’s purchase of nuclear-powered submarines would start a regional arms race was “grievously out of touch”, because it was already underway.
“China has six nuclear powered submarines, in just six years they will have 21 … others argue that submarines are becoming obsolete and the oceans are becoming transparent,” he said.
“(But) why is every major power in this world investing in more and more nuclear powered submarines?
“The truth is AUKUS is progressive, because it best protects our people by having strong defence capabilities of our own.”
Freemantle Labor MP Josh Wilson rejected Mr Conroy’s argument to opposed nuclear-powered AUKUS submarines was to be an appeaser of autocrats, such as the political leaders who did not quickly move to respond to aggressors in World War II.
Mr Wilson said the acquisition of nuclear powered submarines was not in the national interest nor justified.
“(It) involves too many risks to the maintenance of our future submarine capability to the proper balance of our defence budget allocations and to our sovereign manufacturing capacity,” he said.
Albanese Government extends offer to Labor left ahead of AUKUS debate
The promise of unionised submarine-building jobs and doubling down on nuclear non-proliferation efforts will be used to appease Labor members poised to launch a damaging anti-AUKUS debate at the party’s national conference.
The security pact is expected to dominate day two of the conference in Brisbane on Friday, with Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy seeking to cement Labor’s support for the pact by moving to tie the party’s platform to a detailed statement outlining why AUKUS was necessary and beneficial.
The statement will commit to the SSN-AUKUS nuclear-submarines being built in South Australia “by Australian workers” in “secure, well-paid unionised jobs”.
The SA construction would follow the initial phase of the deal that involves buying up to five subs from the US.
Despite these efforts to win over opponents of the pact, it is understood the Electrical Trade Union (ETU) will still attempt to counter the statement with a motion that would remove references to AUKUS and nuclear-powered submarines.
But a push by party members in NSW to pass a motion condemning AUKUS, arguing nuclear-powered subs would “contribute to a regional arms race” will not be debated.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was dismissive of what he called a “stitched up” debate to ensure there were no resolutions against AUKUS.
“(There is) a lot of theatre, a lot of colour and movement, but in the end a bit of a damp squib I think,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.
Asked if he would participate in the AUKUS debate on the conference floor, Mr Albanese said: “quite possibly”.
On the issue of managing nuclear waste when the AUKUS submarines are retired, Mr Albanese said his government had commissioned the Department of Defence to look at potential options on defence land.
“There’ll be an appropriate report back in consideration of that,” he said.
“But obviously, this isn’t something that is imminent.”
Dozens of anti-AUKUS protesters gathered outside the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre as the conference took place on Friday, calling on Labor to scrap the defence partnership and the nuclear-powered submarines deal.
The small crowd was armed with a cardboard submarine and later sung the Beatles’ ditty Yellow Submarine.
ETU representatives called for the AUKUS deal to be abolished, claiming it would lead to war and divert money away from education and housing.
Former federal MP Melissa Parke, who represented the seat of Fremantle until 2016, addressed the crowd and described the struggle for nuclear disarmament as “the most important struggle in the human race”.
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Originally published as Anti-nuclear Labor party members heckle Albanese Government ministers during tense AUKUS debate
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