Malcolm Turnbull says AUKUS has more risks than rewards

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is a little more measured than Paul Keating about the AUKUS deal but still says there are “risks”.

Malcolm Turnbull has joined the chorus of former prime ministers criticising the government’s $368bn AUKUS deal, saying there are more risks than there are rewards.

A day after Paul Keating’s extraordinary spray in which he labelled the deal the “worst in all history”, Mr Turnbull was more measured in his criticism, pointing blame at his successor Scott Morrison but conceding the decision was already made.

He once again lambasted Mr Morrison for scrapping the French submarine deal, saying it was a “tragic omission” that the option of a nuclear propulsion submarine with France was not pursued and questioning Britain’s economic stability.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden in announcing the “optimal pathway” for AUKUS.

Australia will host rotations of its allies’ nuclear submarines until purchasing three to five Collins-class submarines early next decade. By the 2040s Australia will have built first-of-class British submarines with US propulsion and weapons systems.

During his interview on ABC Radio on Thursday morning, Mr Turnbull raised questions about sovereignty, the human resources challenge, and the future of Australia’s naval workers given the lack of a civil nuclear industry.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed his concerns with the AUKUS deal. Picture: Supplied

He also questioned why Australia was taking a “risk” in building first-of-class British submarines in Australia while also running US Virginia-class submarines.

“The reality is, this will take a lot more time, cost a great deal more money, have a lot more risk than if we had proceeded with the submarine project we had with France that Morrison recklessly cancelled,” Mr Turnbull said.

“We will be paying for it in terms of dollars, of years lost, and in very, very high risk of execution.

“We will have to train up crews and commanders to command (the Virginia-class submarines) and we’ll have to set up the regulatory and supervisory nuclear agencies to ensure that they can be safely operated under Australian law and under Australian regulations because if we don’t do that, then they’ll operate under American regulations … that wouldn’t be a sovereign capability.”

The three leaders announced the AUKUS ‘optimal pathway’ in San Diego this week. Picture: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Mr Turnbull also questioned what would happen to the thousands of submariners and other workers involved in the nuclear process given they would be unable to find work in Australia after.

Mr Turnbull said if Australia had gone with the French nuclear propulsion submarine, which uses a lower grade of uranium, trained workers could find work in similar roles in the civil industry.

Because of the high grade of uranium used in the US nuclear propulsion, and given the civil industry uses low grade, Mr Turnbull said retiring workers would likely move overseas.

Mr Turnbull also questioned whether Britain would be the most stable partner in AUKUS, given its economic instability.

“We’re talking about a long-term partnership with the UK. The UK is not present in the Asia Pacific,” he said.

“It has enormous economic problems and Britain has seven million people on the NHS waiting list. Is Britain going to be financially strong enough to be our partner in this submarine project? That is significant.

“The Royal Navy and the British Navy has been shrinking and it’s been shrinking because of budget constraints … Their economy is the slowest growing economy of any major economy in the world.

“It’s one thing to have the US as your partner … The UK has real challenges and unlike France is not actually in the Asia Pacific.”

Mr Turnbull questioned why Australia just didn’t buy a full fleet of Virginia-class submarines. Picture: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek backed her government’s Defence policy but said both Mr Turnbull and Mr Keating were entitled to their views

“You wouldn’t expect anything different at a time like this,” she told Sky News on Thursday morning.

“It’s good to have a strong debate around it.”

Her colleague, Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor, had stronger words to say about Mr Keating’s spray in particular.

“I have enormous respect for Paul Keating, but on this occasion I don’t agree with him,” he told ABC News.

“It’s not anything new – it’s something that was in principle supported a year-and-a-half ago.

“I’m somewhat surprised by the tone of his comments … He has the right to say what he said yesterday, but I disagree with him entirely.”