AUKUS Deal

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:44): Friday marks one year until the next state election and the Premier, Peter Malinauskas, and the opposition leader, Vincent Tarzia, will be facing off at a Press Club debate. While there are likely to be a few policy differences between them, one area where Mr Malinauskas and Mr Tarzia are on a unity ticket is the future of AUKUS. They are wedded to this toxic AUKUS plan, despite the fact that it will make South Australia less safe and despite the fact that it threatens to undermine our reputation as a clean, green state.

AUKUS is wrong for so many reasons. The last few months have provided citizens of the world with a grim reminder of why we can no longer rely on the United States as a friend and an ally. In recent weeks, while this parliament has been working together to support our state's steel industry, over in the United States our so-called friends have been slapping new tariffs on Australian aluminium and steel, damaging the South Australian industry at a time of crisis. If this is how the Trump administration treats its friends, I would hate to see how they treat their enemies.

The reality is that the time has come for us to think very carefully about our relationship with the United States. It is clear that the United States of America under Trump no longer shares our democratic values. Mr Trump is a dangerous and delusional man. He is an authoritarian, a sexist, a transphobe and a racist. He has no respect for the rule of law. He has no respect for the judiciary. He has no respect for democratic traditions. He has no respect for Australia. Does anyone seriously expect the Trump administration to come to Australia's aid if we are in trouble? A leader who is clearly in the pocket of Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime—give me a break. Yet, despite all of this, we are hitching our wagon to the Trump administration. Back in the sixties it was all the way with LBJ, now it is to hell in a handbasket with a basket case, Donald Trump.

By aligning our national security so closely with the United States, AUKUS puts our country at risk, and South Australia is right in the thick of it. At least five nuclear subs are set to be built in SA, with the promise of thousands of South Australian jobs, but there is a catch: we do not even start building these subs until the 2030s and 2040s. South Australians have heard all this before. Over the last decade, it has been clear to us that these submarines are so often a mirage. In this case Australia will get access to second-hand US subs, but only after we have paid billions of dollars to the United States to support their own submarine manufacturing capabilities, and a future US president does not even need to provide them if they are not assured that America can meet its own needs. How is this a good deal for Australia? How does this make our own country safer?

Billions and billions of dollars are being pumped into war machines that may never even materialise. Meanwhile, we have people sleeping on the street, people who cannot afford to get into the housing market, people who cannot afford to see a doctor when they need one and people who cannot afford to put food on the table. Surely this money can be better spent. Surely there are better ways we can support South Australians who are struggling during this cost-of-living crisis. The Greens are not alone in calling AUKUS a dud deal. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described this as a terrible deal for Australia, dumb and a fiasco. I am no fan of Mr Turnbull, but a broken watch is still right twice a day. He is right on that one; it is a terrible deal.

Let us also consider the environmental risks. Just last year, state and federal parliaments backed new laws to allow nuclear waste to be stored at Osborne, just 25 kilometres from the CBD, close to Semaphore and Port Adelaide. But what about the residents who live nearby: has anyone asked what they think? What about the potential exposure to our waterways? What happens if something goes wrong? South Australians have made it clear time and time again that we do not want nuclear waste in our state. We have made it clear time and time again that we do not see a future for the nuclear industry in SA, yet Labor and the Liberals keep flogging this dead horse. It is time to let it go once and for all and to cement our reputation as a clean, green state.

Rather than tying our economic sustainability and future prosperity to a deal that will surely make our state less safe, Peter Malinauskas and Vincent Tarzia need a plan B. Linking our state's future to the reckless and volatile Donald Trump and the dangerous nuclear industry is not a sensible policy for SA. Do these leaders really think that AUKUS is in South Australia's best interests? What will they do if something goes wrong? What will they do if the promise of South Australian jobs is not delivered?

The Greens will be watching the leaders' debate closely to ensure their answers. South Australians deserve more than just more me-tooism on such important policy questions. Now is the time for our leaders to stand up for South Australia and dump AUKUS, and the Greens will be here to hold their feet to the fire until they do.