
Bob Carr says Aukus a ‘colossal surrender of sovereignty' if submarines do not arrive under Australian control
Australia faces a 'colossal surrender of sovereignty' if promised US nuclear-powered submarines do not arrive under Australian control, former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr has said, arguing the US is 'utterly not a reliable ally' to Australia.
'It's inevitable we're not getting them,' Carr told the Guardian, ahead of the release of a report from Australians for War Powers Reform that argues the multibillion-dollar Aukus deal had been imposed upon Australia without sufficient public or parliamentary scrutiny.
'The evidence is mounting that we're not going to get Virginia-class subs from the United States,' Carr said, 'for the simple reason they're not building enough for their own needs and will not, in the early 2030s, be peeling off subs from their own navy to sell to us.'
Under 'pillar one' of the planned Aukus arrangement, it is proposed the US would sell Australia between three and five of its Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines in the early 2030s before the Aukus-class submarines were built, first in the UK, then in Australia.
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
However, the US has already forecast it might not have capacity to spare any of its Virginia-class boats, the Congressional Research Service instead floating a proposal in which: 'instead of … them being sold to Australia, these additional boats would instead be retained in US Navy service and operated out of Australia'.
Carr said that alternative would leave Australia without Australian-flagged submarines and no control of when, and to where, those boats were deployed.
'It involves the total loss of any sovereign submarine capacity and, more than that, a colossal surrender of Australian sovereignty in general.'
Australia, Carr said, needed to look past the 'cheerful flag-waving propaganda' of the proclaimed Aukus deal, saying the alternative likely to be presented by the US would leave Australia 'totally integrated in American defence planning and we'll be hosting even more potential nuclear targets'.
Australians for War Powers Reform, a group that advocates for parliamentary oversight of the decision to send Australian troops to war, launched a report on Thursday morning arguing that the Aukus deal – signed by the Morrison government in 2021 and adopted by its Albanese-led successor – had been instituted without any public or parliamentary scrutiny.
'The public and the national parliament have been kept in the dark every step of the way,' the report argues.
'The Aukus pact has become a textbook example of how to disenfranchise the community, providing almost no transparency or democracy in a sweeping decision which will affect Australia for decades.'
Aukus and the Surrender of Transparency, Accountability and Sovereignty argues the multi-decade, multibillion-dollar Aukus deal was presented to the Australian public without any discussion, consultation, and without parliamentary debate. The current forecast cost of 'pillar one' of Aukus – to buy US Virginia-class submarines and build Aukus subs – is $368bn to the 2050s.
The report raises concerns over vague 'political commitments' offered by Australia in exchange for the Aukus deal, as well as practical concerns such as where and how nuclear waste would be stored in Australia.
'Aukus has no legitimate social licence because the public has been shut out of the process, and as a result, scepticism and cynicism have increased.'
Dr Alison Broinowski, AWPR committee member and a former Australian diplomat, said Australia's agreement to the Aukus deal was manifestation of a structural flaw in Australia's democracy, where decisions to go to war, or to make consequential defence decisions, were not subject to parliamentary scrutiny or public debate.
Broinowski said Aukus was acutely significant because of its size and potential consequence 'and yet the same failure to be frank with the people characterises every government this country has had, during every war there's been'.
She argued Australia had no control over Aukus. 'We don't know what Trump's going to do and we have no control over what he does. And so we're left hoping for the best, fearing the worst and with absolutely no way of controlling or influencing what happens, unless we first get ourselves out of Aukus.'
The Australian Submarine Agency's Aukus strategy, released this month, said the optimal Aukus pathway would see US boats sold to Australia 'from the early 2030s'. The strategy argues Australia's acquisition of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines would represent 'one of the most consequential endeavours' in Australia's history, 'at a time when our nation faces the most challenging strategic circumstances since the second world war'.
'An Australian submarine industrial base capable of delivering a persistent, potent and sovereign multi-class submarine capability is vital to the defence of Australia.'
Welcoming a rotation of US marines to the Northern Territory this week, the defence minister, Richard Marles, said the Australian defence force continued to work closely with the US: 'The power of our alliance with the United States is a testament to our shared dedication to fostering a secure, stable and inclusive Indo-Pacific.'
But Carr, the foreign affairs minister between 2012 and 2013, said the Aukus deal highlighted the larger issue of American unreliability in its security alliance with Australia.
'The US is utterly not a reliable ally. No one could see it in those terms,' he said.
'[President] Trump is wilful and cavalier and so is his heir-apparent, JD Vance: they are laughing at alliance partners, whom they've almost studiously disowned.'
Carr said America had been fundamentally altered by Trump's second administration and that American leadership of a rules-based international order was 'not returning'.
'The speed of America disowning allies to embrace a new world order where it cuts deals with Russia and China has been so astonishing that people are struggling to grasp it, especially in this country, where people just cannot contemplate a world where America treats so lightly its alliance with Australia.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Democrats have a dirty secret - they actually like some of the tax cuts in Trump's ‘big beautiful bill'
Some of the sweeping tax cuts proposed in President Donald Trump 's massive spending package have found support among Democrats — even as they are expected to oppose the legislation over proposed cuts to Medicaid and other government services when it comes up for debate in the Senate later this month, according to a new report. The gargantuan budget package, which House Republicans and the White House have dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed the House by a single vote last month and is now drawing heat from fiscal hawks in both chambers as well as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who was fresh off his months-long stint as a special government employee when he began threatening to back challengers to any legislator who votes for the bill. Still, there are facets of the proposal that have appeal for some Democrats, the New York Times reports. Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, a Democrat who is also a wealthy car dealership owner, told the Times his party is 'in general very much in favor of reducing taxes on working people and the working poor' when asked about Trump's plan to end taxes on service workers' tips. 'Those people are living on tips,' he added. Trump's tip tax cut plan has also attracted attention from Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, a state where service workers make up a large and powerful voting bloc that has traditionally supported Democrats but shifted to Trump in large numbers during the 2024 presidential election, handing him the Silver State's electoral votes. Rosen, a Democrat, took to the Senate floor last month to advance a bill approving Trump's 'no tax on tips' plan. It passed unanimously even though the measure was largely symbolic because the U.S. constitution requires tax laws to originate in the House 'I am not afraid to embrace a good idea, wherever it comes from,'. she said at the time in remarks on the Senate floor. Yet despite the support for some of the individual tax provisions in the plan, it's highly unlikely that it will be able to muster enough if any Democrats to ease the way to Trump's desk, even under a Senate procedure known as budget reconciliation, which fast-tracks some types of spending legislation without subjecting it to the upper chamber's de facto 60-vote threshold for passage. Democrats are expected to unanimously vote against the legislation in the upper chamber, where it has also attracted opposition from some Republicans who've complained that the cuts to spending in the package don't go far enough to offset the reduced revenue caused by provisions meant to enact Trump campaign promises to end taxes on tips for service workers, as well as taxes on overtime pay for hourly workers and on social security benefits for seniors. Nonpartisan experts such as those at the Congressional Budget Office have warned that the reduced tax receipts would blow a massive hole in the federal budget and jeopardize America's long-term fiscal outlook, but that hasn't stopped some prominent Democrats from getting behind the individuals tax cuts. Trump and his allies hope the prominent tax cut proposals will blunt Democrats' efforts to paint the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a giveaway to wealthy GOP donors that will gut government services while only providing limited relief for working-class voters. To that end, the president and others in his camp have routinely taken to social media to argue that anyone who votes against the bill is effectively voting for tax increases because the legislation makes permanent a number of temporary tax cuts enacted in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Trump signed into law during his first term. Democrats, meanwhile, remain opposed to the bill's massive cuts to Medicare and other measures that make it harder for people to claim tax credits meant to boost lower-income Americans' bottom lines. Rep. Brad Schneider, an Illnois Democrat, told the Times that the whole bill had to be considered rather than any individual provision or provisiosn. 'Any one thing — a tax credit or a tax cut — might make sense, but you've got to take a look at the whole picture,' he said.

The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Nicola Sturgeon's memoir Frankly – here's what we know so far
The former first minister's hotly anticipated memoir is set to hit the shelves in the coming months. Published by Pan MacMillan and titled Frankly, the book is likely to dominate headlines once it is available. So, here's what we know about it so far. READ MORE: Ruth Maguire reveals she's cancer free and 'excited to return to work' 'Deeply personal' Announced in August 2023, Sturgeon said the book would be 'deeply personal and revealing'. Pan MacMillan won a bidding war out of nine publishers at an auction after she resigned as first minister in February that year. The book will tell the story of Sturgeon's childhood in Ayrshire as well as her career in politics, where she was Scotland's first female first minister and the longest serving in Holyrood's history. She also worked with five different prime ministers during her time in office. Sturgeon said at the time the book was announced that writing it was 'exciting, if also daunting'. (Image: Andrew Milligan) 'Restrictions' Under the Radcliffe Rules, former government ministers, civil servants and special advisers are free to publish memoirs of their time in office. However, this has to be signed off by the Permanent Secretary, Scotland's most senior civil servant, who will review the manuscript to make sure it doesn't impact national security interests, intergovernmental relations, or anything confidential. According to documents recently published on the Scottish Government's website and released via FOI, Sturgeon's memoir passed checks with no changes. Officials were sent four hard copies of the book, with the documents revealing that 'at all times strong security arrangements have been observed' and that only a small number of staff had access to it. 'On the basis of advice from my review group, it is not considered that any changes are required to the manuscript in order to comply with the Radcliffe Rules or the Scottish Ministerial Code,' John-Paul Marks, the former permanent secretary, wrote to Sturgeon in April. READ MORE: Labour Government 'must protect' UK-flagged Madleen aid ship Publication The book is due to be published on August 14, with Sturgeon being paid a £300,000 advance for her work. This is being paid in instalments to her company, and is made public through her MSP register of interest. Sturgeon is set to go on a launch tour for the book across Scotland, including an appearance at Edinburgh's Usher Hall and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Ticket prices range from £33 to £73. Sturgeon also posted a video of herself signing a huge pile of pages that will be attached to the book for those who have pre-ordered. There have been some hints about what the book will contain. 'Full of the verve and wit that made Sturgeon one of the most high-profile politicians in the UK, this is a unique blend of personal insight and captivating vignettes,' a blurb for the book reads. 'Infused throughout with a love of Scotland and its people, it honestly discusses Sturgeon's mistakes, her battles, and her triumphs. Frankly is the compelling story of no ordinary politician.'

The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Nicola Sturgeon's memoir Frankly - here's what we know so far
The former first minister had to clear the contents of her book with Scottish Government officials before it's made public. Published by Pan MacMillan and titled Frankly, the book is likely to dominate headlines once it is available. So, here's what we know about it so far. READ MORE: Ruth Maguire reveals she's cancer free and 'excited to return to work' 'Deeply personal' Announced in August 2023, Sturgeon said the book would be 'deeply personal and revealing'. Pan MacMillan won a bidding war out of nine publishers at an auction after she resigned as first minister in February that year. The book will tell the story of Sturgeon's childhood in Ayrshire as well as her career in politics, where she was Scotland's first female first minister and the longest serving in Holyrood's history. She also worked with five different prime ministers during her time in office. Sturgeon said at the time the book was announced that writing a book was 'exciting, if also daunting'. (Image: Andrew Milligan) 'Restrictions' Under the Radcliffe Rules, former government ministers, civil servants and special advisers are free to publish memoirs of their time in office. But, this has to be signed off by the Permanent Secretary's Office who will review the manuscript to make sure it doesn't impact national security interests, intergovernmental relations, or anything confidential. According to documents recently published on the Scottish Government's website, released via FOI, Sturgeon's memoir passed checks with no changes. Officials were sent four hard copies of the book, with the documents revealing that 'at all times strong security arrangements have been observed' and that only a small number of staff had access to it. 'On the basis of advice from my review group, it is not considered that any changes are required to the manuscript in order to comply with the Radcliffe Rules or the Scottish Ministerial Code,' John-Paul Marks, the former permanent secretary wrote to Sturgeon on April 24. READ MORE: Labour Government 'must protect' UK-flagged Madleen aid ship 'Publication' The book is due to be published on August 14, with Sturgeon being paid a £300,000 advance for her work. This is being paid in installments to her company, and is made public through her MSP register of interest. Sturgeon is set to go on a launch tour for the book across Scotland, including an appearance at Edinburgh's Usher Hall and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Ticket prices range from £33 to £73. Sturgeon also posted a video of herself signing a huge pile of pages that will be attached to the book for those who have pre-ordered. There have been some hints about what the book will contain. 'Full of the verve and wit that made Sturgeon one of the most high-profile politicians in the UK, this is a unique blend of personal insight and captivating vignettes,' a blurb for the book reads. 'Infused throughout with a love of Scotland and its people, it honestly discusses Sturgeon's mistakes, her battles, and her triumphs. Frankly is the compelling story of no ordinary politician.'