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A Port Kembla nuclear submarine base would ‘place a massive target on our backs’, NSW labour union warns
TL;DR
A labour union warns that establishing a nuclear submarine base at Port Kembla would make the area a significant target for military adversaries. The South Coast Labour Council cautions about potential political fallout and local impacts on health services and housing.
Key points
- Port Kembla is named as a preferred nuclear submarine base in Australia.
- The South Coast Labour Council warns it could become a military target.
- Local impacts include effects on health services, roads, and housing prices.
Mentioned in this story
Port KemblaSouth Coast Labour CouncilAustralian militaryAukusArthur Rorris
A labour union has expressed alarm about newly released documents that reveal Port Kembla to be a preferred Australian base for nuclear-powered submarines, saying it would “place a massive target on our backs”.
The South Coast Labour Council has warned federal and state politicians of “political fallout” should they proceed with “surrendering Port Kembla to Trump’s Navy” as an Aukus base.
Documents prepared by the former New South Wales Liberal government and tabled in state parliament on Friday named Port Kembla – 75km south of Sydney – as the preferred east coast base for Australia’s proposed nuclear submarine base. The documents warned it could make the area “a target for Australian military adversaries”.
The secretary of the SCLC, Arthur Rorris, said: “The secret report also tells the government that what they really need to worry about is the political fallout. They got that right.”
Rorris said there were schools within walking distance of the proposed base and the project would have significant effects on health services, roads and house prices.
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“The admission by the government’s own reports that our transport, health, security, industrial land capacity and housing will all suffer tells you why the government kept it secret from our people,” he said.
The outcry comes as Australia’s Aukus spending blows out and US submarine building falls years further behind, fuelling concerns that the Virginia-class nuclear submarines Australia is depending on the US to deliver to kickstart its nuclear fleet will not materialise under Australian command.
Rorris said it was becoming clearer that there would be no Australian nuclear submarines and Port Kembla would be “a base for US subs that we are paying for”.
In March 2022 the then Coalition government announced that it intended to build an east coast submarine base to station the new nuclear-powered submarines promised as part of the Aukus agreement. Port Kembla was shortlisted as a potential base, alongside Brisbane and Newcastle.
Q&A
What are the concerns about the Port Kembla nuclear submarine base?
Concerns include making the area a target for military adversaries and significant impacts on local health services and housing.
Who is warning against the Port Kembla submarine base proposal?
The South Coast Labour Council, led by secretary Arthur Rorris, is warning federal and state politicians about the risks associated with the proposal.
What is the political fallout mentioned regarding the submarine base?
The political fallout refers to potential backlash from the community and concerns over safety and local infrastructure if the base is established.
