$33 million a day, every day, for 35 years - AUKUS 5th anniversary
The Public Inquiry into AUKUS
MEDIA ALERT
Tuesday 15 September 2026
$33 million a day, every day, for 35 years – AUKUS 5th anniversary
Five years ago today, Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden announced the AUKUS submarine deal.
Since then, Australia has already spent billions both creating jobs in US and UK shipyards to build their domestic industrial capacity in the hopes that we may one day acquire submarines for our Navy, as well as on building permanent US bases in Australia that will make us a nuclear target in any future war.
Over the last five years there has been no Government announcement or community consultation, including with First Nations communities, on where in Australia the high-level weapons grade nuclear waste generated by the AUKUS submarines will be stored.
In five years, the Government has provided no detailed information about civil defence preparations to protect Australians in Fremantle and Adelaide, which will be nuclear targets as a result of a US and UK attack submarine presence in those cities.
The persistent claim that AUKUS will create 20,000 jobs has been independently costed by experts at the inquiry as costing around $18m per job – a truly absurd form of job creation.
A significant number of Australians - including a Prime Minister, former Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers, senior academics and military experts, community groups and citizens - mostly critical, have presented to the Public Inquiry into AUKUS across 10 day-long hearings in 8 cities around Australia over the last 12 weeks.
Up to 1,500 people a day have watched the live-streams of proceedings. Over 1000 written submissions have now been received.
Despite repeated invitations the government has chosen not to provide information about AUKUS, nor appear at the Inquiry.
AUKUS Public Inquiry Lead Commissioner Peter Garrett today again invited the Government to use the 5tth anniversary of the original AUKUS announcement to communicate openly with the Australian people.
“Our public inquiry demonstrated that concern about AUKUS is very real, bubbling away in communities across the country.”
“The Government needs to fully explain the geo-strategic, economic and security rationale for AUKUS, make clear where the weapons grade radioactive waste will go and show how it will protect Australians in the event of any future conflict. Five years on from the original announcement, it’s time.”
AUKUS Public Inquiry media contacts: Phil Davey 0414 867 188 ([email protected]) or Julie Macken 0400 925 217