Despite increasing evidence that the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine pact is destined to fall over, the Australian Labor Government remains committed to the deal. But as the government doubles down on the US Alliance, the Australia Institute polling indicates that the Australian community is not convinced. 54% of Australians now want a more independent foreign policy. 56.8% support or strongly support a Parliamentary Inquiry into AUKUS.

Join former Labor Senator the Hon. Doug Cameron, Dr Emma Shortis, and Arthur Rorris, Secretary, New South Wales South Coast Trades & Labour Council, to discuss the future of the deal and its implications for Australian security.

SPEAKERS:

The Hon. Doug Cameron — Former Senator for New South Wales

The Hon. Doug Cameron is a retired trade unionist who served as Senator for New South Wales from 2007-2019, representing the Australian Labor Party. In 2007, Cameron was elected to the Australian Senate, where he was a fierce advocate for working people and against neoliberalism. After serving as Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Homelessness in the Second Rudd Government, Cameron was an opposition Shadow Minister across the portfolios of Human Services, Skills, TAFE and Apprenticeships, and Housing and Homelessness. Since retiring in 2019, Cameron has stayed active in Australian public life, championing progressive causes including housing policy reform and the need for foreign policy independence.

Arthur Rorris – Secretary, New South Wales South Coast Trades & Labour Council

Arthur Rorris is the Secretary of the South Coast Labour Council, the peak union body representing 25 affiliated unions from the Illawarra to the Victorian border in the south including the industrial heartland of Port Kembla and Wollongong. Arthur was elected as Secretary in March 2000, and previously worked with the CPSU, the Department of Employment, Education and Training and in casual teaching and research positions at the University of Wollongong, in Politics and Industrial Relations. In his role as Secretary of the South Coast Labour Council he has been a leading campaigner for green jobs, climate action and a nuclear free future and the movement against AUKUS.

Dr Emma Shortis – Director of International and Security Affairs, The Australia Institute

Dr Emma Shortis is Director of the Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs Program. Emma is a historian and writer, focused on the history and politics of the United States and its role in the world. She uses her expertise in history to interpret and explain what is happening in the world today, and what it means for Australia, in a compassionate and accessible way. Emma’s first book, Our Exceptional Friend: Australia’s Fatal Alliance with the United States, was published by Hardie Grant in 2021. She writes regularly for Australian and international outlets, and appears regularly on Australian radio and television.

You can purchase copies of Dr Emma Shortis’s Vantage Point, After America: Australia and the new world order from The Australia Institute store