Australian Former PM Paul Keating
A day after Australia signed nuclear-powered submarines from the United States to modernise its fleet, Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating has launched a blistering attack on his nation’s plan, saying “it must be the worst deal in all history.”
Speaking at a National Press Club event, the former prime minister said the submarines wouldn’t serve a useful military purpose.
“The only way the Chinese could threaten Australia or attack it is on land. That is, they bring an armada of troop ships with a massive army to occupy us,” Keating said.
“This is not possible for the Chinese to do,” he said.
Further, he said that Australia would sink any such Chinese armada with planes and missiles. “The idea that we need American submarines to protect us,” Keating added.
“If we buy eight, three are at sea. Three are going to protect us from the might of China. Really? I mean, the rubbish of it. The rubbish.”
On Monday, Australia’s deal was announced in San Diego by U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gathered amid growing concern about China’s military buildup and influence in the Indo-Pacific. Biden emphasized that the submarines wouldn’t carry nuclear weapons of any kind.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the deal was necessary to counter the biggest conventional military buildup in the region since World War II.
“We have to take the step of developing the capability to operate a nuclear-powered submarine so that we can hand over a much more self-reliant nation to our children and to our grandchildren,” the minister said.
Ahead of the deal, China said that the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom were travelling “further down the wrong and dangerous path for their own geopolitical self-interest” in inking the deal, which has been given the acronym AUKUS.
The Ex-PM Keating said that the submarine deal was the worst international decision by the Labor Party in more than 100 years when it unsuccessfully tried to introduce conscription during the World War I.
Moreover, he also mocked the cost of the deal, which Australian officials have estimated at between 268 billion and 368 billion Australian dollars ($178-$245 billion) over three decades. Australian officials say the deal will create 20,000 jobs.
“For USD 360 billion, we’re going to get eight submarines,” Keating said. “It must be the worst deal in all history,” Keating added.
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