Doug Cameron has delivered a comprehensive critique of the Albanese Government’s defence policy, warning Australia risks becoming a nuclear target if it continues to partner with the United States on buying AUKUS submarines.
Fri 19 Sep 2025 08.00 AEST
Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Former Labor senator Doug Cameron has delivered a comprehensive critique of the Albanese Government’s defence policy, warning Australia risks becoming a nuclear target if it continues to partner with the United States on buying AUKUS submarines.
Mr Cameron was relentless in his assessment, as he delivered his speech Australian Sovereignty and the Path to Peace at the annual Carmichael Lecture, in honour of prominent Australian trade unionist Laurie Carmichael.
The retired politician took his Labor colleagues to task for “making dangerous political decisions, with little transparency and even less accountability”.
“I do not understand why a party, with a long history of anti-nuclear activism, can abandon its integrity, its history and its credibility by capitulating to militarism within 24 hours of learning about the AUKUS deal.”
The AUKUS agreement is a security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to share advanced military capabilities.
A defence hub in Western Australia, which Australia needs for its own defence, is the latest contribution to the AUKUS partnership.
Anthony Albanese has pledged an addition $12 billion over a decade to upgrade the site so it has the capacity to build war ships and dock nuclear-powered submarines.
“There is no greater honour than serving our country in our nation’s uniform, and my government is dedicated to investing in the defence capabilities our nation requires,” the Prime Minster said earlier this month.
Doug Cameron calls this kind of sentimental posturing into question, and describes the pact as “militarism gone mad”.
“It is timely to critically analyse Australia’s political and industrial capitulation to militarism and warmongering – disguised as defending Australia.
“Why are we abandoning the principle of peace in a desperate effort to hopefully obtain second-hand nuclear-powered submarines decades from now?
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“These submarines are designed to attack our most important trading partner China, in an effort to maintain US hegemony and military superiority.”
Mr Cameron describes AUKUS as, “flawed, dangerous and increasingly uncertain madness,” and says it could drag Australia into catastrophic conflicts that aren’t in the national interest.
“Does anyone in my party understand that the US cannot defeat China in a conventional war?”
He’s concerned Australia will be dragged into the conflict, with the United States using Taiwan as a tripwire for war.
The Trump administration has been pressuring Australia for months to ramp up defence spending while the Pentagon reviews the AUKUS deal against Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Mr Cameron hopes the review “saves us from ourselves”.
“I’m not optimistic about this given that we have conceded our sovereignty, our dignity and our safety to the Trump regime, a regime driven by an egotistical, temperamental,authoritarian and dangerous leader.”
The former NSW Senator argues the USA’s “peace through strength” doctrine is deeply flawed and says history shows where the United States wages war, devastation follows.
“What this really means is they seek peace by preparing for war. Just because some long-dead Roman thought it was a clever thing to say does not make it true. It just proves that stupidity has ancient roots.
“If my party were genuine in the pursuit of order, stability and peace we would not be funding the US and UK military industrial complex.”
Instead, Mr Cameron is urging the Albanese government to return to its roots and tear up the AUKUS deal and the Force Posture Agreement which permits U.S. military forces to rotate through Australia.
“If you want peace, you should prepare for peace, not war,” he told the audience.
He’s calling for the Commonwealth to increase political and diplomatic engagement with Asian Pacific nations, particularly China and create and fund a National Peace Research Institute.
Mr Cameron also wants legislation introduced to ban former parliamentarians, advisers, public servants, and military personal working with arms manufacturers for five years after they’ve left the Commonwealth payroll.
His parting message: “Stop the warmongering and build a good society.”
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