At its national conference, ruling party endorses shift from coexistence with China to hostility

The Australian Labor Party held its latest national conference in Brisbane, and more than 2,000 delegates from branches all over the country were present, as well as non-voting observers. The conference from Aug 17-19 was the first the ALP held since it formed the government after defeating the Liberal and National Party coalition in May 2022.

Apart from domestic economic, social, and environmental matters, the agenda of the conference was more concerned than in the past with defense and foreign policy. The government led by Anthony Albanese fully supports the AUKUS trilateral security agreement, signed by his predecessor Scott Morrison with the United Kingdom and the United States in 2021.

The showpiece of the AUKUS deal is a A$368 billion ($237.5 billion) program to acquire eight nuclear powered submarines, which will take decades to be operational. AUKUS also includes the expansion of US military installations, particularly in the north of Australia, as well as long-range missiles.

Many Australians oppose both the cost and the purpose of the program, and media commentators have criticized it as lacking certainty about US capacity and willingness to deliver.

Albanese, who said he was given only 24 hours to consider the AUKUS agreement, has staked his re-election on it. Conference delegates were presented with a 1,300-word statement reversing Labor’s traditional principles, which at least since the Vietnam war have been anti-nuclear, pro-Asia, and based on international law — although the country was always supportive of the ANZUS alliance with America, which also includes its neighbor New Zealand.

“AUKUS commits us to the US’ war with China, while the submarine deal drains our capacity to build a better society,” wrote Guy Rundle in the online Crikey report on Aug 22.

That commitment represents a reversal of Labor’s past priorities, and it reflects the switch in recent years from coexistence with China to hostility. It also mimics the US’ policies under former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Americans want not only to be great again, but to remain the sole hegemon by encircling China with US allies, including Australia.

Rather than defy Washington by stating Australia’s unwillingness to join an American coalition in a war against China over Taiwan (which Australia recognizes as a province of China), or in the South China Sea, the Albanese government is doing the opposite.

The current huge military build-up is claimed to be for “deterrence”, yet the submarines, bombers, and missiles are designed for aggression.

Moreover, if Australia buys three Virginia-class submarines to bridge the gap before the AUKUS boats are delivered, that could even reduce the US Navy’s own nuclear-powered submarine capacity.

A US Congressional Research Service report warns that the US Navy could fail by almost a third to reach its fleet size goal. It also anticipates that nuclear-powered submarines in Australian hands could fail to meet the “deterrence” objectives of AUKUS.

Rather than expose the prime minister to excoriation by the Murdoch-owned media — which is dominant in Australia — delegates at the national conference failed to ask the questions to which they and other Australians need answers: Who is our enemy? What sort of defense do we want? What are the risks in what we are doing?

No one mentioned what a former prime minister, Malcolm Fraser, wrote in 2014 in his book Dangerous Allies: that it is the US-led alliance and its bases in Australia that most endanger us.

No one speculated aloud about the utterly unpredictable US leadership, to which Australia is more closely tied than ever.

The author is a former Australian diplomat and president of Australians for War Powers Reform. 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.