Peter Garrett to lead independent inquiry into Australia's Aukus submarine pact

Former Australian environment minister Peter Garrett will lead an independent inquiry into the Aukus defence pact, in a new challenge to the $368bn submarine plan. The community-based investigation is being launched by a group of Labor veterans and public figures who say the agreement has not received proper scrutiny. It is due to hold public hearings and take written submissions before delivering a final report by 30 October.

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The inquiry is being convened under the auspices of the Australian Peace and Security Forum, with a group of commissioners to be named. Garrett, who is also known as the former frontman of Midnight Oil, will serve as lead commissioner on the five-month review. Supporters of the initiative include trade unions and non-profit organisations, according to the material provided.

The inquiry will examine whether the submarines can be delivered on time and on budget, how nuclear waste will be managed, and whether Australia's defence and strategic interests are being well served. Garrett has previously criticised Aukus, describing it as the "most costly and risky action ever taken by any Australian government". He also said the new process was doing the work that a proper parliamentary inquiry should have done.

Aukus was negotiated under the former Morrison government and announced in 2021. Under the agreement, Australia is to acquire nuclear-powered submarines in collaboration with the United States and the United Kingdom, while also funding upgrades to the US defence industrial base. The first secondhand nuclear submarines are expected to be received in 2032, according to the supplied material.

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The new review comes after scrutiny of the trilateral partnership in other countries. The UK parliament held a year-long review into the arrangement, and the supplied material says a Pentagon inquiry in 2025 was followed by support from US President Donald Trump. Within Australia, some Labor figures, including former prime minister Paul Keating, and civil society groups have argued that Aukus is not in the country's best interest.

The inquiry is significant because it adds a formal public process to a major defence commitment that has already drawn political and strategic debate. It also raises questions about cost, delivery timelines and the handling of nuclear material, all of which are central to the pact's long-term viability. The fact that the review is being led by a former senior Labor minister gives it added political weight.

What remains unclear is the full make-up of the commissioner group and how much evidence the inquiry will gather beyond the planned hearings and written submissions. It is also not yet clear how the findings will be received by the government or whether they will influence Australia's approach to the pact. The key date to watch is 30 October, when the final report is due.

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