Former Labor Foreign Minister Gareth Evans Calls AUKUS Submarine Plan 'Misconceived,' Urges Backup Strategy

At the opening hearings of a crowd-funded public inquiry into AUKUS chaired by former Labor minister Peter Garrett, Gareth Evans delivered a scathing critique of Australia's nuclear submarine commitment. Evans argued the plan is 'misconceived from the outset' and represents a loss of Australian sovereign independence, stating those who accept this loss while applauding it as necessary for protection have 'lost not only any sense of national pride, but of Australia's national interest.' He expressed skepticism about the project's deliverability, citing zero certainty regarding timely delivery of the eight promised AUKUS boats and questioning whether the US would actually sell Virginia-class submarines to Australia or share sensitive nuclear technology. Evans warned that nuclear submarines' superior capabilities make it more likely Australia would be drawn into a US-China conflict, particularly over Taiwan, and suggested the government should develop a fallback plan involving alternative suppliers such as France, Japan, Germany, Sweden, or South Korea. His testimony represents a rare high-profile Labor criticism of AUKUS, as only a couple of sitting Labor MPs have publicly questioned the pact, which was strongly endorsed at Labor's recent national conference.