2025-01-23
Australian Greens announce plans to end the AUKUS agreement and establish an independent and peaceful foreign policy
Today the Australian Greens are announcing a plan for Australia to pursue an Independent and Peace based foreign policy agenda. We must focus on building constructive relationships with our regional neighbours.
The Australian Greens are committing to a platform that would see Australia withdraw from the AUKUS political pact and renegotiate Australia’s position in the ANZUS treaty.
This measure would save the Australian community $73 billion over the next ten years. The Greens would re-invest these funds in social programs that help people during a cost of living crisis - like getting dental into Medicare, more public and affordable housing and seeing the GP for free.
Quotes attributed to Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Peace & Nuclear Disarmament
“The Australian community are calling out for immediate cost of living relief, meanwhile, this Labor government seems intent on nuclear submarines.”
“Withdrawing from the AUKUS political pact would save $73 billion over the next ten years. This could be reinvested in programs like seeing the GP for free, dental and mental health into medicare and more public and affordable housing."
“As a Rockingham local I’ve heard from my community their opposition to AUKUS and its impact on our community and environment. There is clear opposition to nuclear submarines being stationed in the water just off Rockingham, and no one wants nuclear waste stored on our shores.”
“This AUKUS pact is bad for the community, bad for the environment, and bad for Australia’s place in the world.
“We can not accept our nation outsourcing its foreign policy to countries like the United States, especially during a Trump Presidency.”
Quotes attributed to Senator David Shoebridge, Greens Spokesperson for Defence
“AUKUS will not keep us safe, it was never intended to do that. The purpose of the billions in public funding towards nuclear submarines is for Australia to become an arm of the US military. It has nothing to do with defending Australia.”
“Scott Morrison agreed to this deal, but it’s been the Albanese Labor Government that has meekly carried out Liberal policy.
“AUKUS is a dangerous gamble that strips us of independence while taking hundreds of billions of public dollars from other essential projects. Being a subservient and dependent ally of the US, it keeps drawing us into their wars, serving Washington’s interest, not ours.
“AUKUS will most likely end in Australia paying the US to become a part of their military, without getting any nuclear submarines and making the whole world less safe.”
MEDIA CONTACT:
- STEELE-JOHN - Dylan Eagles 0420 897 377
- SHOEBRIDGE - Sam Brennan 0428 973 324