Australia blasted for new Aukus deal over nuclear waste fears - ‘blow to sovereignty’

The additional commitments were not mentioned in the official agreement tabled in the Australian parliament on Monday, which replaced an earlier agreement allowing just the exchange of naval nuclear propulsion information.

The controversial Aukus deal, which involved the manufacture and supply of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, has long raised eyebrows since its surprise announcement in 2021 due to the proposed use of nuclear power in the region, the steep A$368 billion (US$242 billion) cost to Australian taxpayers and perceptions as a platform to counter China.

Last Friday, former Australian prime minister Paul Keating, said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Aukus could sell Australia out as “the 51st state of the United States” after information about the new agreement started trickling in following the announcement from Washington.

“What Aukus is about in the American mind is locking us up for 40 years, with American bases all around Australia, not Australian bases. Aukus is really about – in American terms – the military control of Australia,” he said.

Unlike other nations which have American bases, Australia did not need to host them as it was a continent with borders with no other countries, Keating said.

“The only threat [to us] is because we have an aggressive ally because of Aukus,” he said, referring to the US.

In a radio interview on Friday, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles refuted Keating’s claims that increased US military build-up in Australia was turning Australia into an American base. Instead, it was a reflection of “growing cooperation between Australia and America”.

“We are talking about a greater defence industrial capability of Australia so that we can meet