Garrett-led inquiry says scrap AUKUS subs now: riskiest defence call ever

Pull the plug now. That's the verdict from an independent inquiry led by Peter Garrett, the former Labor minister better known as the frontman of Midnight Oil, which wants Australia's AUKUS nuclear submarine program terminated immediately. Its report, Surrendering Australia: The AUKUS Deception, landed with 16 recommendations and a warning that the delivery timetable is probably unachievable, potentially leaving the country with no effective underwater fighting force.

Garrett didn't soften it at the National Press Club. He called AUKUS the worst, riskiest and most costly defence decision any Australian government has ever made. The inquiry, backed by unions and community groups, accuses both the Coalition and Labor of hiding the true costs and dangers while dodging proper parliamentary scrutiny.

The wish list is sweeping. The report calls for a royal commission into the pact, an independent cost audit by the Australian National Audit Office, and a halt to hosting rotating US nuclear-powered submarines near Perth. It also wants work stopped at Adelaide's Osborne naval precinct and an end to Australian submariners serving aboard American vessels, plus a fresh alternative submarine acquisition strategy.

Beyond the boats, the inquiry wants AUKUS Pillar II — cyber security and other weapons work — overhauled, and Australia's strategic ties with both Washington and Beijing fundamentally recalibrated. It warns Australia could become a target in any US-China conflict, and that taxpayers risk pouring billions into American and British shipbuilding yards without ever getting the promised submarines.

The findings echo long-running criticism from former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull. The report calls for a comprehensive national security strategy and accuses both major parties of handing critical defence decisions to foreign powers.

The Albanese government now faces pressure to answer the report's central charge: that it has surrendered sovereignty and secrecy to its allies. More to come.