Aukus costs balloon with more cash and staff for submarine agency amid ongoing search for nuclear waste dump

The budget for Australia’s contentious Aukus deal has ballooned by more than $430m over four years, with the agency charged with securing the country’s nuclear-powered submarines requiring a massive injection of funding and staffing. The Australian Submarine Agency’s resourcing for next financial year will jump by a third – from $385m to $512m. Staffing at the ASA is also set to jump, from about 883 positions to 1,209 next year, an increase of 37%. …