A labour union has expressed alarm about newly released documents that reveal Port Kembla to be a preferred Australian base for nuclear-powered submarines, saying it would "place a massive target on our backs."
Union Warns of Political Fallout
The South Coast Labour Council (SCLC) has warned federal and state politicians of "political fallout" should they proceed with "surrendering Port Kembla to Trump's Navy" as an Aukus base. Documents prepared by the former New South Wales Liberal government and tabled in state parliament on Friday named Port Kembla – 75km south of Sydney – as the preferred east coast base for Australia's proposed nuclear submarine base. The documents warned it could make the area "a target for Australian military adversaries."
The secretary of the SCLC, Arthur Rorris, said: "The secret report also tells the government that what they really need to worry about is the political fallout. They got that right." Rorris noted there were schools within walking distance of the proposed base and the project would have significant effects on health services, roads, and house prices.
Community Concerns and Protests
The outcry comes as Australia's Aukus spending blows out and US submarine building falls years further behind, fueling concerns that the Virginia-class nuclear submarines Australia is depending on the US to deliver will not materialize under Australian command. Rorris said it was becoming clearer that there would be no Australian nuclear submarines and Port Kembla would be "a base for US subs that we are paying for."
In March 2022, the then Coalition government announced plans to build an east coast submarine base for new nuclear-powered submarines promised under Aukus. Port Kembla was shortlisted alongside Brisbane and Newcastle. After the Albanese government's 2023 defense strategic review, Labor said a decision on an east coast base would be made towards the end of the decade.
The Labor Against War national convener, Marcus Strom, said the group unequivocally opposed the "creation of a US nuclear base on the east coast of Australia" and promised to work with Illawarra communities to oppose any proposal. Strom called on the NSW government to "reassure the people of the Illawarra" and "rule out a base at Port Kembla."
Many Port Kembla residents have expressed opposition. In September, more than 40 organizations signed the Port Kembla declaration, insisting their community should not host a nuclear submarine base. In 2023, 4,000 residents marched from Wollongong to Port Kembla to protest against an Aukus base.
