Australia’s AUKUS submarine deal is reportedly costing the country more than $350 billion, and continues to be shrouded in secrecy. Musician, environmentalist and former Labor minister Peter Garrett is leading a new public inquiry into the deal.

Peter joins guest host Nick Feik to unpack the lack of parliamentary scrutiny that has necessitated the inquiry, the viability of AUKUS for Australia’s security in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, what the inquiry has revealed so far, and what we can expect next.

More information can be found at at the AUKUS Public Inquiry website here.

“All of the signs point to significant and extreme difficulties in actually having these submarines delivered at all … The point is that the Australian public have a massive stake in this; they’ll have to pay for it, if it turns out to be something which is not going to meet and fulfil the legitimate defence needs of the country then they’ll bare the consequences for that. As much as anything else, a public inquiry allows the opportunity for people to be heard, as they should in a democracy.”

Photo credit: AUKUS Public Inquiry’s website.