Independent candidate for the north shore Sydney electorate of Bradfield, Nicolette Boele, is calling for a full parliamentary inquiry into the AUKUS defence deal.
“Any time Parliament commits to spend $368 billion, we should at least have a full parliamentary inquiry. The case for an inquiry on AUKUS is even stronger given the rules of global co-operation have dramatically changed since it was signed in 2021. AUKUS now risks our defence — because we don’t know if these Virginia class submarines will ever arrive. It risks our budget — because we may waste $368 billion in taxpayer’s money. And it risks our Australian values.”
“We don’t import our values from the United States. We have our own Australian values. We believe in democracy, we respect the rule of law and the separation of powers, and we help allies in times of need. To protect our Australian values we need to be able to stand on our own two feet.”
Boele, a finance and clean energy executive who ran in Bradfield in 2022, turning one of the safest Liberal seats in the country into one of the most marginal, said an inquiry is crucial before any more money is potentially wasted.
“Since we signed AUKUS in 2021 the rules of global co-operation have changed. There are good arguments for increasing our defence spending. There are also increasing concerns, from prime ministers such as Malcolm Turnbull and defence leaders such as Admiral Chris Barrie, that putting all our defence eggs in a $368 billion basket risks taking money away from other critical defence projects.”
“We need a Plan B. The fact that the major parties aren’t talking about such a critical issue during an election campaign is deeply concerning. As with tax, and climate change, they are missing in action when the public most needs them. As an independent I can help start these conversations. We have a responsibility to taxpayers to at least ask these questions about AUKUS before we proceed with spending their money on a bad bet.”
Be the first to comment