Paul Keating says AUKUS review may 'save Australia from itself'
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More news: Former prime minister Paul Keating says the US review of AUKUS may be the moment “Washington saves Australia from itself”, as he called for Australia to embark on a new national security path.
In a statement, Keating accused the Albanese government of failing to conduct its own review into the agreement when it took office in 2022 due to a “fear of being seen as dodgy on the alliance”.
But Keating argued that Washington’s decision to look into the agreement opened the door for Labor to forge a “relevant, distinctly Australian path for the country’s national security”.
The former prime minister has been an outspoken critic of AUKUS, which he described as “hurriedly scribbled on the back of an envelope by Scott Morrison … a world away from where Australia’s strategic interests primarily lie”.
Washington cancelling the deal would see it achieve its ultimate goal of turning Australia into a “nuclear-armed fort pointed against China”, Keating said.
What they said: “The usual American apologists are already out in the press today insisting that the Australian prime minister leaves his meeting with Trump on the weekend with a guarantee that AUKUS survives. It is an impossible ask,” Keating said.
Angus Taylor urges PM to meet with Trump amid AUKUS review
More news: Shadow minister for defence Angus Taylor has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to seek a direct meeting urgently with US President Donald Trump, after the Pentagon launched a review of the AUKUS submarine deal.
Taylor described the review "deeply concerning" and adding to a "growing list of issues in Australia's relationship with the United States."
He also linked the review to Labor's position on defence spending and the sanctioning of two far-right Israeli ministers this week.
What they said: "The Prime Minister must urgently seek a direct meeting with President Trump to safeguard the AUKUS agreement and ensure Australia’s national interests are protected," Taylor said in a statement.
"If this review has been triggered by the Albanese Government’s refusal to commit to increased defence spending and its sanctioning of two Israeli ministers, then the government has very serious questions to answer about how it is managing our most critical allies."
Australia says US advised partners of AUKUS review, re-evaluation is 'natural'
More news: Australia has confirmed it was advised by the United States of the Pentagon’s review into the AUKUS submarine deal and says it remains committed to the security partnership.
What they said: A spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australia looks forward to working closely with the US on the review and noted it is “natural” for a new administration to re-examine such a major undertaking.
“It is natural that the Administration would want to examine this major undertaking including progress and delivery, just as the UK Government recently concluded an AUKUS review and reaffirmed its support including through the appointment of Sir Stephen Lovegrove as its AUKUS Adviser,” Marles said.
“All three countries are committed to ensuring AUKUS meets national and trilateral objectives.”
“Our engagement with the Trump Administration and across the full political spectrum in the United States has shown clear and consistent support for AUKUS,” the statement said.
Pentagon reviewing AUKUS submarine deal, says FT
The news: The Pentagon has launched a review of the 2021 Aukus submarine deal with the UK and Australia, throwing the security pact into doubt at a time of heightened tension with China, the Financial Times reported quoting a Pentagon spokesperson and other unnamed sources.
The review, to determine whether the US should scrap the project, is being led by Elbridge Colby, a top defence department official who previously expressed scepticism about Aukus, the paper said, citing six sources familiar with the matter.
The context: Canberra and London have repeatedly reiterated their commitment to Aukus, but the review has triggered anxiety in London and Canberra. A pullout would almost certainly end the US commitment to sell up to five Virginia-class submarines to Australia from 2032.
It comes after US defence secretary Pete Hegseth urged Australia to raise spending from 2% of GDP to 3.5%. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded that Australia would “determine our defence policy.”
What they said: A Pentagon spokesperson told the paper the department is reviewing Aukus to ensure the initiative is aligned with the president’s ‘America First’ agenda.
He added that Hegseth had “made clear his intent to ensure the [defence] department is focused on the Indo-Pacific region first and foremost”.
The source: Financial Times
