Former Australian minister launches crowdfunded inquiry into AUKUS submarine deal

A former Australian minister has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance an independent investigation into the AUKUS submarine agreement. The inquiry aims to determine whether Australia will receive the promised submarines and whether the deal makes the country more secure.

A former Australian minister has launched a crowdfunding campaign to conduct an independent inquiry into the AUKUS submarine agreement. The investigation seeks to assess whether Australia will actually receive the promised nuclear-powered submarines and whether this deal strengthens the nation's security.

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US that was signed in 2021. The centrepiece of the agreement is a plan to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

Critics have questioned both the cost of the deal and whether the submarines will ever arrive. Funds raised through crowdfunding are intended to cover the costs of an independent expert panel that will analyse the terms of the agreement and its geopolitical implications.

The inquiry is taking place at a tense time, as US policy has become unpredictable and doubts about the deal's implementation have grown both in parliament and among the public. According to the former minister, Australian taxpayers deserve a clear answer to the question of whether this investment is justified.