{"id":710123,"date":"2026-06-02T09:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710123\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:57:15","slug":"labor-mp-ed-husic-calls-for-aukus-renegotiation-after-virginia-class-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710123\/","title":{"rendered":"Labor MP Ed Husic calls for AUKUS ‘renegotiation’ after Virginia-class changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Labor MP Ed Husic says Australia needs to look at renegotiating the AUKUS pact with the United States and the United Kingdom and start contemplating alternative options.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The outspoken backbencher has pointed to changes agreed with the United States over the weekend, under which Australia will buy three used Virginia-class submarines rather than two used and one new, as a catalyst to consider changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Australia to buy three second-hand US submarines under AUKUS shake-up<\/a><\/p>\n

The US, UK and Australia have announced they will “streamline” the purchase, with Australia no longer buying any new submarines, and acquiring three second-hand submarines.<\/p>\n

Defence Minister Richard Marles met with US War Secretary Pete Hegseth in Singapore on Saturday, where the pair reaffirmed the AUKUS pact but announced the change to the delivery plan.<\/p>\n

Mr Marles has argued that acquiring three used submarines in the 2030s would “streamline” an “incredibly complicated” deal.<\/p>\n

A Labor MP questioned the prime minister during Labor’s caucus meeting earlier today, arguing the changed deal should prompt a reconsideration of the party’s commitment to AUKUS.<\/p>\n

While not confirming he was the MP who raised the issue, Mr Husic said there was clearly a need to question whether AUKUS could be delivered as promised.<\/p>\n

“This deal has changed, and as a result, we need to recognise \u2014 is there anything that is going to improve this outcome or alter it? I don’t think so,” he said.<\/p>\n

“There’s obviously been \u2014 this is a great understatement \u2014 but you’ve seen within the broader [Labor] movement a general disquiet about the nature of the deal itself.<\/p>\n

“But putting all that aside, there’s an issue about reality, and that is confronting us about whether or not we will even get the new deal that has been put to us based on what’s happening in the US.”<\/p>\n

\"Ed<\/p>\n

Ed Husic says alternatives to AUKUS need to be explored. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)<\/p>\n

Mr Husic has pointed to challenges in American shipyards struggling to lift their rate of production of Virginia-class submarines as one clear issue in the deal, and says it is what likely provoked the change announced over the weekend.<\/p>\n

The United States is trying to double its production rate from just over one submarine a year to more than two a year, aiming to sell submarines to Australia without setting back the growth of its own fleet.<\/p>\n

He said the AUKUS deal needed to be renegotiated and alternative options explored.<\/p>\n

“I think the reality on the ground will force a renegotiation. It won’t be a renegotiation, it’s a reality about the production rates and whether or not we’ll get them,” Mr Husic said.<\/p>\n

“I will make this other point \u2014 what’s the contingency, what’s the plan B?”<\/p>\n

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the government was determined to continue with the AUKUS agreement.<\/p>\n

“We have taken our position on AUKUS to two elections. It has been put to Caucus and approved by Caucus,” Mr Conroy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It has been thoroughly debated at the national conference, which resolved to back AUKUS and the tens of thousands of jobs it is creating.”<\/p>\n

Coalition questions Labor commitment<\/p>\n

The federal opposition has leapt on the comments from Mr Husic, arguing it is a sign of fracturing of support for the nuclear submarine pact.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/p>\n

James Paterson says government MPs need to be pulled into line. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)<\/p>\n

Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson said the prime minister and defence minister should shut down dissent in Labor ranks.<\/p>\n

“We now have a full-on Labor revolt when it comes to Australia’s signature defence policy,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Richard Marles needs to show leadership \u2014 he needs to haul Ed Husic into line, and demonstrate that the Labor government is one hundred per cent behind AUKUS.”<\/p>\n

The ‘plan B’ for AUKUS<\/a><\/p>\n

Defence industry experts argue Australia should consider how to prevent a naval “capability gap” \u2014 or risk being left exposed.<\/p>\n

He said there were also significant questions about the reasoning behind the shift to three used Virginia-class submarines.<\/p>\n

“If it is the case, as [Richard Marles] says, that this will be cheaper and simpler \u2014 then why wasn’t this the plan from the beginning?” he said.<\/p>\n

The Greens have also called on the government to provide more details about the changed plans, arguing it lacked transparency.<\/p>\n

Greens Senator David Shoebridge said Labor should be asking questions about the pact.<\/p>\n

“We’re not just over a barrel with the United States \u2014 we have literally said to them they can name the price, they can give us the biggest lemon in the fleet \u2014 three of them \u2014 and Richard Marles will give that blank cheque to the US,” he said.<\/p>\n

The renewed discussion of AUKUS within parliament comes as a group of AUKUS sceptics and critics launch a “public inquiry” into the pact.<\/p>\n

\"Peter<\/p>\n

Peter Garrett says the defence pact needs to be debated. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)<\/p>\n

The “AUKUS public inquiry”, led by former Labor minister Peter Garrett, aims to mirror the processes of a parliamentary inquiry that the group argues should have taken place before the pact was agreed.<\/p>\n

Mr Garrett and four others, including former chief of the defence force Chris Barrie, will call for public submissions and hold hearings as they examine whether AUKUS is providing value for money and can be delivered at all.<\/p>\n

Mr Garrett said public debate about the pact was sorely needed.<\/p>\n

“The AUKUS decision is the most momentous and expensive decision ever made by any Australian government in the modern era,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It is a decision that asks all of us to fully understand the implications of what is contained in that decision.<\/p>\n

“And to provide the opportunity for Australians across the political spectrum, and all walks of life, to be heard and submit to a public discussion about this massive expenditure.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Labor MP Ed Husic says Australia needs to look at renegotiating the AUKUS pact with the United States…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":710124,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3402,124082,43,36204,44,99185,41,39,42,40,5429,2489,303357],"class_list":["post-710123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-aukus","tag-ed-husic","tag-headlines","tag-national-security","tag-news","tag-submarines","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-uk","tag-us","tag-virginia-class"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=710123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/710124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=710123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=710123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=710123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}