‘There is no plan B’ on AUKUS, former US ambassador warns as Ed Husic urges rethink
Labor backbencher Ed Husic broke ranks with the government to question the AUKUS submarine pact, amid growing disquiet over the agreement within the party’s membership base.
Former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos insists “there is no plan B” to AUKUS, after Labor backbencher Ed Husic broke ranks to demand contingencies amid mounting concerns over US submarine production.
Husic became the most prominent Labor MP to publicly question the $368 billion defence pact on Tuesday, when he insisted “reality is reshaping the nature of the arrangement”.
The comments came just days after Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed Australia will no longer receive a new model Virginia class submarine from the US, instead receiving a third secondhand model.
“[The original] deal versus what we’ve got now are different,” Husic told reporters.
