SA defence holds new hopes for PM’s London AUKUS talks
After months of speculation and pressure to raise defence spending, SA’s defence industry is watching closely as Anthony Albanese meets the UK Prime Minister.
Fresh from attending the United Nations General Assembly, Anthony Albanese has arrived in London alongside fiancée Jodie Haydon on Friday morning (AEST), ahead of the Global Progress Action Summit.
He will join Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Iceland’s Kristrun Frostadottir and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer – a gathering of some of the world’s top progressive leaders and policy experts.
The AUKUS deal is likely to dominate discussions between Starmer and Albanese when the pair meet at 10 Downing St following the summit, of particular interest to South Australians with the build of new nuclear-powered submarines under the agreement meant to happen in Adelaide.
SA’s Defence Teaming Centre chair Michael Hartas said around 20 of the peak body’s member companies were on an Australian defence trip to the United Kingdom recently that included Premier Peter Malinauskas where they were “making full use of this opportunity to build bonds and establish next steps with our AUKUS partners”.
Hartas said it was particularly beneficial to Australian businesses working in the broader submarine industry where they learned more about how they would enter AUKUS nuclear-submarine supply chains early, meeting United States and United Kingdom counterparts to build relationships and partnerships.
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“The DTC hopes that the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will continue discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer around how Australian and UK businesses can work together to expedite collaboration in the early stages of the AUKUS Submarine program and that his visit will pave the way for formal announcements to be made around contractual agreements between Australian and UK defence businesses,” he said.
Mr Albanese is also due to meet King Charles III at Balmoral Castle, after the monarch stressed the importance of AUKUS during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK last week.
“Our AUKUS submarine partnership, with Australia, sets the benchmark for innovative and vital collaboration,” the King said at a state banquet at Windsor Castle, as Trump, seated next to him, nodded.
Under the multibillion-dollar security pact with the US and UK, Australia would gain nuclear-powered attack submarines by the early 2040s.
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But the US is reviewing the agreement, agreed under Joe Biden’s presidency, to ensure it aligns with Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Back home, Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australia and the UK had stepped up their engagement on strategic issues in recent years.
“We’ve really seen a very significant strategic dimension be applied to what is our oldest relationship, and that’s very much through AUKUS,” he told Sky News on Friday.
Trump would also be a key topic of discussion between the pair, said Monash-Warwick Alliance international relations researcher Tom Howe.
“I think (Mr Albanese and Mr Starmer) will probably talk about some tactics on how to best manage Trump,” Howe told AAP.
He said Australia had a lot riding on the UK, with the first British nuclear submarines scheduled to start rotating through a Perth naval base from 2027.
