Kate Chaney MP Renews Call for Independent Inquiry into Australia’s AUKUS Commitments (3 June 2025)
MEDIA STATEMENT
3 June 2025
Kate Chaney MP Renews Call for Independent Inquiry into Australia’s AUKUS Commitments
Following the US calls for increased national defence spending, independent Federal Member for Curtin, Kate Chaney MP, has renewed her call for an independent, transparent inquiry into Australia’s involvement in the AUKUS security agreement.
Ms Chaney has raised serious concerns about the lack of scrutiny, escalating costs, and growing doubts over the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines.
“AUKUS is a monumental strategic commitment with far-reaching implications for our economy, sovereignty, and security posture,” Ms Chaney said. “Yet it continues to unfold with minimal public transparency and virtually no parliamentary accountability.”
The trilateral agreement between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom includes the proposed acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines—one of the most expensive and technically complex defence undertakings in Australia's history. The estimated cost is at least $368 billion over several decades.
“Now we’re hearing increasing reports that these submarines may not arrive on time—if at all—due to production bottlenecks, industrial limitations, and political uncertainty in our partner nations,” Ms Chaney said. “We are being asked to commit vast public resources to a program with slipping timelines and unclear feasibility.”
Ms Chaney noted that the UK House of Commons Defence Committee has already launched a formal inquiry into its AUKUS commitments, assessing their strategic coherence and implementation challenges.
“If the UK Parliament can ask hard questions about AUKUS, Australia absolutely must do the same.”
Ms Chaney is calling for an independent, non-partisan inquiry to examine:
• The strategic rationale for AUKUS and whether it reflects Australia's long-term security interests;
• The opportunity cost of choosing this defence capability over others;
• The feasibility and timeline of the nuclear submarine program, and the risk of delivery delays or failure;
• The impact on Australia’s sovereignty and foreign policy independence;
• And the lack of public consultation and parliamentary debate in committing to such an expansive agreement.
“We need to stop treating AUKUS as a settled matter. The truth is, it's still unfolding, still untested, and still unclear,” Ms Chaney said. “Australians deserve to know: is this really the best use of our resources and the right path for our security?”
Ms Chaney continues to work with crossbench colleagues, defence experts, and community leaders to push for greater transparency and accountability in Australia’s defence planning.