Australians deserve the truth
about AUKUS

Politico's Ryan Heath and Mason Boycott Owen report from Barrow-in-Furness, England, where the BAE Systems shipyard must deliver AUKUS submarines at an unprecedented pace even as the town repairs decades of underinvestment in housing, skills and public services.

Pearls and Irritations' Jon Stanford and Michael Keating examine the nuclear dilemma at the heart of AUKUS Pillar One, questioning whether Australia can realistically acquire a sustainable, sovereign undersea capability under the current arrangement.

Cheek Media Co.'s Bernadette Clarke reports from Port Kembla, where residents are pushing back on the suburb becoming the east coast's submarine base, including victim-advocates raising safety statistics and teachers concerned for their students.

On this fortnightly Australian Foreign Affairs discussion, Sam Roggeveen and Hugh White examine how the Treaty of Rarotonga's ban on stationing nuclear weapons in the South Pacific may collide with planned US nuclear-armed submarine rotations through HMAS Stirling from 2032.

Michael West Media's Andrew Brown notes that Australians crowdfunded a citizens' inquiry into the $368 billion AUKUS deal after both major parties declined to hold a formal parliamentary inquiry, with the crowdfunded process now drawing testimony from former ministers, a former Defence Force chief, and a former WA premier.

ABC's Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald offers a critical examination of AUKUS through the lens of the public inquiry, highlighting concerns about cost, risk, and democratic accountability.

Crikey's Wanning Sun argues there is no shortage of compelling arguments against AUKUS, but that they haven't yet coalesced into a "narrative" reaching beyond the people already inclined to oppose the submarine pact.

The Illawarra Mercury's Ben Langford reports that a Port Kembla mother and anti-nuclear activist fears for the future of her hometown and her children if the suburb becomes the site of a US-Australian nuclear submarine base.

Region Illawarra's Andrew McLaughlin reports that hearings into Australia's participation in AUKUS are set to resume in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong after a series of hearings held in southern and western states.

SBS News reports that Malcolm Turnbull told the crowd-funded public inquiry, led by Peter Garrett and a former ADF chief, that of the three AUKUS partner nations Australia's parliament has the most at stake but is the "least curious and the least informed."

The Guardian's video coverage of the AUKUS Public Inquiry captures former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's testimony questioning the basis for confidence in the submarine deal.

Crikey's Anton Nilsson reports that former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the independent inquiry into AUKUS that the pact could end up being a historic defence planning failure.

The Canberra Times' Tess Ikonomou reports that Australia faces the real risk of not receiving its promised nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS, as former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the inquiry it is unlikely Virginia-class submarines will be delivered while the US Navy continues to fall behind on its own production.

The Nightly's Andrew Greene reports that Defence Minister Richard Marles says the United States, not Australia, will determine how long its nuclear-powered submarines remain at HMAS Stirling, based on American operational requirements.

Brought to you by ABC Radio National, presented by David Marr on Late Night Live, Lead Commissioner Peter Garrett discusses the AUKUS Public Inquiry, which has now received over 600 submissions including from former ministers Gareth Evans, Linda Reynolds and Christopher Pyne, as the Inquiry heads to Sydney hearings featuring former PM Malcolm Turnbull and former Foreign Minister Bob Carr.

In the final instalment of a six-part series for Pearls and Irritations, Peter Briggs argues AUKUS Pillar One cannot deliver on schedule or budget, and that Australia should pause its HEU pathway and assess proven LEU alternatives.

Peter Briggs examines Australia's choice of highly enriched uranium for AUKUS submarines, raising questions of proliferation, safety, waste, regulation, and the civil burden placed on Australian shipyards.

Peter Briggs turns to workforce, arguing Australia must build and sustain two geographically separated nuclear submarine hubs despite acute skills shortages, certification bottlenecks, and competition from the resources sector.

Peter Briggs finds that while Osborne's submarine yard is making visible progress, unfunded stages, nuclear licensing, supply-chain dependence and the absence of an embedded graving dock pose major risks.

Peter Briggs turns to Henderson, where fragmented land tenure, commercial disruption and regulatory delays could block the facilities Australia needs to sustain nuclear-powered submarines.

Margaret Reynolds argues the ALP's 50th National Conference in Adelaide should have tested the government's reform record and commitment to international law, but factional control turned it into a managed exercise in avoidance.

The first in a six-part series for Pearls and Irritations, Peter Briggs examines the maintenance reality behind AUKUS Pillar One, and the looming risk that Australia may receive Virginia-class submarines before it has certified infrastructure to dock and sustain them.

Peter Garrett: Despite substantial reservations about the submarine deal, it’s unlikely to be seriously examined at the ALP national conference.

Writing for Pearls and Irritations, Justice and Peace Facilitator Julie Macken reflects on weeks of Inquiry testimony — from Linda Reynolds’ admission that Fremantle would become a bigger nuclear target, to warnings of an unplanned nuclear accident response — and asks whether the evidence will actually shift government policy.

In a ChangeMaker Chat episode, Lead Commissioner Peter Garrett discusses his decades of activism and explains how the AUKUS Public Inquiry is creating space for the public debate that Parliament has not had on the $368 billion submarine deal.

Former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne told the Adelaide hearing that decisions on AUKUS should sit with the National Security Committee of Cabinet, not Parliament, while conceding the program is unlikely to be delivered on time or on budget.

Rex Patrick tells news.com.au the Federal Government is fighting to keep secret its own advice on where AUKUS nuclear waste will be stored, and says he is considering Federal Court action after three Freedom of Information requests were refused.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports on former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne’s evidence to the Adelaide hearing, in which he acknowledged AUKUS is unlikely to be delivered on schedule or within budget, but argued national security remains the more important priority.

The Point reports on Dr Colin Hughes’ testimony at the Fremantle hearing, warning that there is no nuclear safety plan for communities around HMAS Stirling in the event of a major accident.

The Point covers former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ testimony at the Fremantle hearing, where she argued Australia has been in a ‘hybrid and grey zone war’ with China and that no credible Plan B to AUKUS has been proposed.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports on expert testimony at the Fremantle hearing warning of the risks of a nuclear accident at HMAS Stirling, and the absence of adequate emergency planning for surrounding communities.

Op-ed by Commissioner Dr Carmen Lawrence AO in the Sydney Morning Herald, arguing that the massive cost and strategic implications of AUKUS demand full public transparency.

The Guardian reports on Gareth Evans' testimony at the Melbourne hearing, where he argued AUKUS Pillar One is "more likely than not" to prove one of Australia's worst defence and foreign policy decisions.

The Canberra Times reports on Gareth Evans' assessment of the AUKUS deal at the first public hearing, calling for a government fallback plan in case the submarine fleet is not delivered.

China Daily Asia covers the opening of the AUKUS Public Inquiry in Melbourne, reporting on the testimony of expert witnesses and the growing public debate over the submarine deal.

UTS News argues that the independent public inquiry into AUKUS represents a landmark moment in Australian democratic accountability, bringing transparency to one of the most consequential defence decisions in the nation's history.

Richard David Hames on Substack examines the strategic, financial, and sovereignty failures at the heart of the AUKUS agreement, arguing the deal reflects a deeper failure of Australian independent thinking.

Over $85,000 raised and 100+ written submissions received in the first 72 hours. Public hearings confirmed for Melbourne, Fremantle, Adelaide, Sydney, Port Kembla and Canberra.

The Sydney Morning Herald examines the implications of Australia's reliance on the US for nuclear-powered submarines amid shifting American defence priorities.

ABC Triple J Hack covers the launch of the public inquiry into AUKUS, examining what the deal means for young Australians and why the inquiry matters.

The Point reports on the launch of the independent public inquiry, with Peter Garrett named as Lead Commissioner alongside four other eminent Australians.

The BBC covers the launch of the AUKUS Public Inquiry, reporting on Peter Garrett's appointment as Lead Commissioner and the inquiry's crowdfunding campaign.

The Point reports on growing scrutiny of the AUKUS deal following the inquiry's launch, with critics labelling the cost absurd amid latest changes to the agreement.

IPAN's media release covers the launch of the public inquiry as new questions emerge about whether the AUKUS submarine deal can be delivered as promised.

ABC News reports on the launch of the crowd-funded public inquiry into the AUKUS submarine deal, with Peter Garrett at the helm.

ABC Radio National Breakfast interviews Peter Garrett on why Australians need an independent public inquiry into the AUKUS security partnership.

The Guardian's Full Story podcast features Peter Garrett ahead of the inquiry launch, discussing why Australians deserve full transparency on the AUKUS deal.

Leanne Minshull, Commissioner and Co-CEO of The Australia Institute, writes on why an independent public inquiry into AUKUS is necessary and timely.

The Guardian reports on the launch of the AUKUS Public Inquiry, with Peter Garrett announced as Lead Commissioner of the independent civil society inquiry.

Former Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Michael Keating argues the AUKUS nuclear submarines will not be delivered on time — and that delaying a Plan B risks Australia's future submarine capability entirely.

With thanks to your patience, we are very excited to announce that as early as next week we will be able to announce the names of distinguished Australians who have volunteered to become commissioners in the public Inquiry into AUKUS.

Australia's submarine ambitions rest heavily on British delivery — but Britannia no longer rules the waves, with retired admirals warning the UK program may not be able to deliver.

The Australian public deserve to understand the implications of the Morrison/Albanese secretive AUKUS agreement — Doug Cameron, Former ALP Senator.

The Inquiry has launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover hearings, expert witnesses, travel, and public reporting costs.

Lead Commissioner Peter Garrett responds to claims the Inquiry is a ‘show trial’, and the Adelaide hearing delivers testimony from Christopher Pyne, Rex Patrick and the Electrical Trades Union on cost, risk and delivery timelines.

"Secretive Parliamentary committees stacked with proponents of AUKUS does not serve the public interest. Help fund a genuine public open Inquiry."