COMMITTEES
Ms McKENZIE (Flinders) (16:20): by leave—I rise to speak as the Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties regarding report 228, AUKUS UK collaboration; UK and Indonesia defence treaties. I thank the committee chair, the member for Bendigo; and the secretariat for their able and quick work in assisting the committee; and my fellow committee members for their consideration of and collaboration on this report.
This is the second inquiry of the treaties committee in this parliament. Our report made three recommendations to support the three major treaty actions reviewed and to recommend that binding treaty actions be taken. While my comments will focus on the AUKUS UK collaboration, I acknowledge the positive outcomes of the UK and Indonesia defence treaties that were also considered and what they signify for our strategic partnerships and friendships with both the UK and Indonesia.
As members can read in the report, the nuclear powered submarine partnership and collaboration agreement, otherwise referred to as the AUKUS UK collaboration, is related to the AUKUS trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and US focused on enhancing Australia's naval capabilities through the acquisition of nuclear powered submarines—or SSNs, as they're known—in accordance with AUKUS Pillar 1.
Announced on 15 September 2021 by the former coalition government, AUKUS aims to strengthen defence ties between the three nations, starting with Australia acquiring SSNs for her Navy. Since the announcement by former coalition prime minister Morrison, there have been a number of key events that have contributed to advancing AUKUS to this point. On 14 March 2023, AUKUS leaders announced the optimal pathway for Australia to obtain nuclear powered submarines, SSNs, by acquiring two second-hand Virginia class and one new-build Virginia class from the United States as well as five SSN-AUKUS submarines based on a US design; both the UK and Australia will build those submarines.
On 5 August 2024, the ANNPA was signed, enabling the transfer and cooperation on naval nuclear propulsion information and equipment. Soon after, in September 2024, the UK and Australia began negotiations on a bilateral agreement to support the SSN-AUKUS program, focusing on submarine production, operations and workforce development, which has culminated in this treaty action.
This collaboration represents one of the most significant treaty actions to advance our national interest in the midst of the most challenging strategic competition since the end of World War II. This treaty action represents the strengthening of our close ties with our key allies. It will deliver a sovereign SSN capability by the early 2040s, improving Australia's defence capabilities and industrial capacity.
Nuclear powered submarines are critical to Australia's defence strategy, offering stealth, endurance and deterrence capabilities. These SSNs will enhance Australia's industrial and naval capacity and support regional security and stability. AUKUS will enhance our interoperability with the US Navy and the Royal Navy, which will prove to be significantly beneficial for the RAN.
This collaboration advances professional opportunities for our RAN submariners, specifically through the requirement to facilitate personal exchanges and visits of US and UK SSNs to Australian ports—specifically to HMAS Stirling in Western Australia—and offers new opportunities for Australia's defence industry. This treaty action will reinforce AUKUS members' commitment to non-proliferation obligations and safeguard our agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Importantly, it will increase our capability to contribute effectively to maintaining strategic balance and peace in the Indo-Pacific region and to uphold the global rules based order. We accept that there will be, from time to time, challenges that arise from AUKUS, particularly in regard to recruitment, training and retention. However, the Royal Australian Navy is a professional force amongst the very best in the world with extraordinary capabilities and is up to the challenge.
By serendipity, when our committee's public hearing on this treaty was occurring, I was on the last day of my three-day placement at HMAS Cerberus, in my electorate, where I not only got to experience the life of a sailor recruit and observe and participate in the training and activities of new recruits but also got to meet the young men and women who will now be part of our future nuclear powered submariner force.
When I first visited Cerberus three years ago, and, indeed, when I joined the crew of HMAS Rankin for the better part of a week off the waters of Western Australia back in early 2023, AUKUS felt a long way off. AUKUS is now very much present in the projects and planning of the recruits of HMAS Cerberus, and the passion and purpose of those serving there is quite an honour to behold.
I thank my colleagues the members for Fisher and Dunkley for their fine company on this program. A big shout-out to Commanding Officer Captain Ben Favelle; Captain Damien Munchenberg, the executive officer of the base and, may I say, a mighty fine baker of a birthday cake; and Commander Cameron Eastman for his kind, patient and deeply informative leadership of our program, as well as his palpable love of HMAS Cerberus, its traditions and its people.
I am proud this week to receive Colonel Jane McBaron in my office as part of the ADF parliamentary exchange program, who, in a few short days, has impressed me immensely and demonstrated the amazing capability of Australian service men and women. It is with absolute conviction that I say our RAN sailors are strong, courageous and selfless in placing the security and interests of our nation and the Australian people ahead of their own.
The AUKUS UK collaboration encapsulates the opportunities that AUKUS will provide our nation under Pillar 1, and the encouraging element to this is that there's still plenty of work to come towards achieving the outcomes regarding advanced technologies set out in Pillar 2. I acknowledge the work of the government in continuing our commitments set out under the former coalition government, and I am encouraged by the bipartisanship that AUKUS has inspired in promoting our national interest and improving our defence capabilities.