Western Australia’s south coast to become a major military hub

Over the last year, we have obtained a clearer picture of what the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the UK and the US will mean for Western Australia. The first big announcement came in March—the federal government will spend $8 billion to expand the HMAS Stirling naval base on Garden Island so that it can dock Australia’s first nuclear-powered submarines from the early 2030s. It will also host regular rotations of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines.

The next major announcement came in July. HMAS Stirling, only five kilometres from the residential suburb of Rockingham, will be a dumping ground for radioactive waste generated by the nuclear submarines. While the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has made standard assurances of the planned facility’s safety, nearby residents have raised concerns.

Speaking to the ABC, James Mumme, a local science teacher and Greens candidate, said: “I’m concerned about radiation leaks. Accidents, they do happen, and [there’s the] threat of Cockburn Sound being made a target and the 130,000 people who live in Rockingham being incinerated”.

Another resident, adjunct professor of psychology George Burns, raised the potential for waste leakage to harm nearby species, explaining, “We have three endangered marine species in this area”. While ARPANSA received 165 submissions from a 30-day community consultation, it has not made them available to the public.

The most recent announcement was made in October. Henderson Shipyard, just a few kilometres from residential areas such as Beeliar, Hamilton Hill and the popular Coogee Beach, will become the location of a new AUKUS submarine servicing and shipbuilding precinct. It will be the maintenance hub for the submarines and a manufacturing facility for Australian army landing craft and naval frigates.

Of course, while workers are told to tighten their belts, there is plenty of funding to go around for the military. Defence Minister Richard Marles has not provided an exact cost for the hub’s development. But, according to the ABC, industry sources expect a range of between $12 billion and $20 billion.

These are huge projects, and they will drastically shape WA’s economic and political landscape in a militarist direction. As Marles put it, “This represents the most significant defence industry offering to Western Australia since federation”. According to Premier Roger Cook, “This particular industry will rival the resources industry as one of our main areas for economic growth, for economic activity and for employment”.

The argument most often cited in favour of these developments is “job creation”. But jobs can and should be created by investing in projects that meet social needs. How many jobs could be created if these billions of dollars were instead spent building schools, hospitals and social housing?

Another announcement made last year on the topic of housing was that 550 new homes will be built to house the US and UK soldiers involved in submarine visits. This is during a housing crisis in which Perth rentals have become among the most expensive in the country! It is an outrage that the government can suddenly build hundreds of new homes for US and UK soldiers, but not for the desperate people waiting on social housing lists.

Western Australia is rapidly becoming a major military hub in the build-up to war between the US and China. Working-class people have nothing to gain from any of it. While WA politicians celebrate the federal cash splash, for the rest of us it is nuclear waste, dilapidating schools and overrun hospitals, never-ending social housing wait lists and the prospect of becoming a target in nuclear war.