Peter Garrett to head independent inquiry into the Aukus submarine pact

Former environment minister Peter Garrett will lead an independent inquiry into the Aukus defence pact, launched by a group of Labor veterans and public figures concerned proper scrutiny has never been applied to the $368bn defence plan . Garrett, the Midnight Oil frontman and longtime environmental campaigner, will be the lead commissioner on the five-month community-based investigation, being launched on Tuesday. It will hold public hearings and take written submissions before delivering a final report by 30 October. Labor agreed to support the deal for Australia to acquire nuclear submarines in collaboration with the United States and the United Kingdom, negotiated under the former Morrison government and announced in 2021. As part of the agreement, Australia is funding upgrades to the US defence industrial base and will start receiving secondhand nuclear submarines in 2032. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The UK parliament held a year-long review into the trilateral partnership and, after an inquiry by the Pentagon in 2025, US President Donald Trump agreed to support it . But some within Labor, including former prime minister Paul Keating, as well as civil society groups believe Aukus is not in Australia’s best interest. …