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By Efe Ozkan
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Australian government faced backlash on Monday after presenting a revamped AUKUS pact between Australia, the UK, and US, with lawmakers pointing out that Canberra will foot the bill for any loss at the trilateral project.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge said that the updated AUKUS pact “is a complete capitulation by the Albanese Labor government to the interests of the US.”
Under AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership, Australia will get nuclear-powered submarines from the US and the UK, but the ruling Labor Party has witnessed opposition in domestic circles.
It was launched in September 2021 by the Liberal Scott Morrison government.
However, the updated version of the pact says Washington or London “could pull out of the submarine deal with just a year's notice if either nation decides the deal weakens their own nuclear submarine programs,” ABC News reported.
“I have never seen such an irresponsible one-sided international agreement signed by an Australian government,” said Shoebridge on X.
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating had slammed Albanese government over the AUKUS pact, saying it was “the military control of Australia.”
“What’s happened … is likely to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States,” Keating said last week.
Shoebridge noted Article I of the updated AUKUS pact says that “if at any point the United States thinks supplying material under the AUKUS agreement to Australia prejudices their defense, they can effectively terminate the agreement and pull out.”
The updated version of the AUKUS pact was signed last week in Washington by defense and foreign ministers of the two allies and will remain in force until Dec. 31, 2075.
Under the updated pact, Canberra shall be "responsible for the management, disposition, storage, and disposal of any spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste resulting from the operation of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Plants."