Australia: Thousands protest against proposed submarine base

Thousands of protesters demonstrated on Saturday against the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine station at Port Kembla in eastern Australia as part of the AUKUS defence agreement with the US, UK, and Australia, which is worth A$368 billion ($244.1 billion). According to public broadcaster ABC, the Defence Department prefers to build a new east-coast submarine facility near New South Wales’ second-largest coal export port. Trade union flags and banners were carried by protesters as they marched down the town’s main street in this community of about 5,000 people 102 kilometres (63 miles) south of Sydney to express their opposition to the base. “I’m getting the sense of the renewable energy that’s in this community to keep coming out on the streets,” Greens Senator David Shoebridge, a prominent critic of AUKUS, told the crowd. Participants said that the crowd’s size ranged from 2,000 to 5,000. In regards to a location for a new east coast submarine facility, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles stated last month that no decision had been made. Following criticism of the contract for its expense, complexity, and potential sovereignty concerns from two former leaders, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the submarine project. According to the March arrangement, Australia will buy American Virginia-class submarines before jointly producing a new class of submarines with Britain and Australia that will be manufactured in Australia by the early 2040s. (With agency inputs)