30/08/2026
What is the AUKUS Public Inquiry, and why should you make a submission?
Australia has committed $368 billion to AUKUS. It's the largest military expenditure in Australia's history, it will run for decades, and around $10 billion has already been paid to shipyards in the United States and the United Kingdom.
For a decision of that size, the level of discussion and consideration has been inadequate. There has never been a dedicated parliamentary inquiry into it, and no meaningful attempt to engage the Australian public.
So in June, civil society started the conversation with communities directly. The AUKUS Public Inquiry is independent, it is not a government process. It's run by five commissioners with a lot of standing between them: Peter Garrett, Admiral Chris Barrie, the former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Dr Carmen Lawrence, the first woman to lead an Australian state, Karina Lester, a Yankunytjatjara woman and ICAN Ambassador, and Leanne Minshull of The Australia Institute.
They've held public hearings in Melbourne, Fremantle, Adelaide, Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Brisbane, and taken written submissions from more than 600 people.
They're asking six questions: What will it actually cost? Does it make Australia safer? What does it mean for our sovereignty and our ability to make our own decisions? What about nuclear waste and non-proliferation? What does it do to our industries and our universities? And what alternatives were ever considered?
Some people ask, "What's the point?”. It's a fair question. The answer is that what the community tells the inquiry gets collated into a report, to be released in November. That report becomes something politicians, journalists and researchers have to reckon with: a public record of the evidence, and of how many Australians asked for scrutiny that Parliament never provided. Your submission is part of what that report is built from. The more voices in it, the harder it is to ignore.
Submissions close 1 September.
You don't need to be an expert. A few paragraphs on why this matters to you, your community, or your kids' future is a submission. You can submit anonymously. Link in bio. 🔗
