Labor ‘siding with China and Russia on AUKUS subs’, says Peter Dutton

Defence Peter Dutton has accused Labor of siding with China and Russia in warning the AUKUS nuclear submarines could be in breach of the UN’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: Gary Ramage

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has accused Labor of siding with China and Russia in expressing concerns that Australia‘s proposed nuclear submarines could be in breach of the UN’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation ­Treaty.

The move followed Labor MP Josh Wilson’s comments to a Senate committee on Monday that Australia was pursuing an “interesting interpretation” of the NPT in claiming the AUKUS submarines were compliant with the treaty.

“If it was determined that was acceptable, we will have broken new ground in weakening the ­existing non-proliferation regime,” Mr Wilson told an ­inquiry into the AUKUS deal by the parliament’s treaties committee.

Mr Dutton on Tuesday ­accused Labor of taking “an each-way bet on national sec­urity”.

“There’s only two other countries that are making a claim that Australia’s not doing the right thing here,” he said.

“That is the Chinese gov­ernment and the Russian gov­ernment. So, Comrade Wilson, you are on message.”

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese sought to suspend ­question time to debate a motion “that the house declares our support for our alliances with the US and United Kingdom”, but he was ­denied the ­opportunity by the government.

Mr Dutton’s comments came as the Biden administration ­announced it had completed a review of its global military posture, confirming it would beef-up its forces and infrastructure in Australia and Guam.

“In Australia, you’ll see new rotational fighter and bomber aircraft deployments, ground forces training, and increased ­logistical co-operation, and more broadly you’ll see range of infrastructure improvements,” Pentagon official Mara Karlin said.

Mr Dutton said the review would result in “additional co-­operation with allies and partners to contribute to Indo-Pacific stability and deter potential Chinese military ­aggression”.

“This is why the Australian government has entered into the AUKUS arrangement with both the US and the United Kingdom, to make sure that we can take steps to keep our country safe and secure now and into the future,” he said.

Australia’s proposed nuclear submarines would be fuelled by weapons-grade uranium under the AUKUS partnership with the US and UK.

The three countries insist the plan is consistent with the NPT, because the submarines will be armed with conventional weapons.

Chinese and Russian envoys expressed their objections to the plan at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors meeting in Vienna on ­Friday.

China’s ambassador to the UN, Wang Qun, said the transfer of “nuclear weapons materials” to Australia would be an “explicit ­violation of the object and purposes of the NPT”.

Russian envoy Mikhail Ulyanov said his country was ­“deeply concerned” about the submarine deal, warning it risked a regional arms race.

Department of Foreign ­Affairs and Trade official Kat­rina Cooper said Australia’s diplomats would seek work through NPT compliance issues with the IAEA.

“We won’t be putting at risk our nuclear non-proliferation credentials,” she told the treaties committee.

ANU Professor of International Law Don Rothwell told the committee in a submission that Australia should have made it clearer in its treaty with the US and UK that the agreement was consistent with the nation’s NPT obligations.

He said Australia should also state clearly in the text of the agreement that its AUKUS submarines will not violate the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which renounces nuclear weapons and requires peaceful nuclear activities.