Port Kembla is a possible host for an AUKUS nuclear submarine base on our East Coast, but nobody is talking about it. What’s the scam?
The scam is that neither the State nor the Federal Governments dare to reveal where the nuclear submarine base may be, a decision with wide and long-term effects on the community.
An FOI to the Department of Defence last year revealed that the Defence Department were engaging with the NSW Government to
determine the feasibility of a nuclear submarine at Port Kembla or Newcastle.
That merited a ‘GIPA’ application (NSW-speak for FOI) to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
The GIPA response indicated that there were 24 “internal emails” and an ‘Advice’, but I couldn’t have them because they were “Cabinet information”. They related to “site and planning considerations provided by DPHI to the Commonwealth Government’s Department of Defence in their consideration of the port at Port Kembla (among other sites) as a potential site for a nuclear-powered submarine base.”
Hang on, I said, “Cabinet privilege is waived when documents are shared with officials from another polity” as per the NSW Cabinet Practice Manual, which prohibits this (See pages 24, 32 and 33 if you’re super interested).
Backflip
Once I got to the Tribunal, the NSW Government’s legal ‘A-Team’ (Crown Solicitors) got involved, and I received an email late last week.
Email from the Crown Solicitor’s Office.
Last week, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT)ordered the NSW Government to make a new decision, quick smart – by September 5. Now that the matter is before NCAT, maybe, just maybe, we’ll get some insight into where Prime Minister Albanese’s East Coast nuclear base is likely to be.
Election brinkmanship. Defence Dept mute on East Coast AUKUS bases
Rex Patrick is a former Senator for South Australia and, earlier, a submariner in the armed forces. Best known as an anti-corruption and transparency crusader, Rex is also known as the "Transparency Warrior."