Amid choppy waters around ‘secondhand subs’ and Trump, Labor’s sensitivity about the Aukus debate is growing

In a week of controversy around the Aukus nuclear agreement, Vice Adm Mark Hammond might be forgiven for feeling singed by public scrutiny.

Hammond, the chief of the navy, was giving evidence in budget estimates hearings on Wednesday when he revealed that he had been “directed” to speak at an Aukus conference at Washington’s exclusive Cosmos Club back in April.

The annual conference, for which ticket prices started at $4,950, was organised Christopher Pyne – who is among a suite of former ministers now making big money lobbying on the $368bn agreement.

Hammond – promoted by the government to become chief of defence from next month – said he did not personally solicit speaking invitations and would only attend private events when “directed” to do so.

But someone monitoring the hearing from the ministerial wing or the Russell defence complex might not have liked the answer.

A couple of hours later, Hammond clarified that rather than being directed to speak, he had consulted with the government, and his address had been “approved” by the office of the defence minister, Richard Marles.

The sensitivity is revealing.

Concerns about the cost and reliability of the Aukus pact are growing. Labor needs to do a better job explaining just why one of the biggest and most expensive decisions ever taken by an Australian government should remain in the national interest.

And it all comes amid renewed debate about Australia’s moves to more closely tie our defence to an increasingly unpredictable partner: Donald Trump’s America.

Used subs for sale

It was an announcement from Marles last weekend that brought the issue back to the foreground.

After meeting with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, in Singapore, Marles said that Australia would no longer receive two Virginia-class submarines already in service and one new vessel. Instead, Australia would take three secondhand boats.

Marles said the change made sense. Instead of running two different models of American submarines – each with their particular sensibilities and training requirements – streamlining the plan would make operations more effective. The Pentagon told journalists the cost efficiencies were likely to be in the workforce, maintenance and supply chains.

The new defence department secretary, Meghan Quinn, went further in Canberra, saying Australia had always wanted three in-service boats.

Labor is sensitive about the phrase “secondhand”. While the subs won’t be newly built, they will be operating at peak condition after about six years in the water and having just undergone their first major service.

Once handed over to Australia, the Virginias are expected to run for at least a quarter century. Marles and the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, argue the early years of operation for complex military equipment are the most difficult, so it makes sense for the submarines to arrive once their operational condition is guaranteed.

But selling the message was not straightforward for Labor. Entrenched scepticism about the deal – first negotiated by Scott Morrison and quickly endorsed by Labor in opposition – flared in the ALP caucus meeting on Tuesday when former cabinet minister Ed Husic spoke up. Husic’s position was that a material change in the deal should prompt reconsideration of the merits of Aukus, especially noting the “transactional” way Trump makes decisions. Dumped from the frontbench in a factional deal orchestrated by Marles after the 2025 election, it is not the first time Husic has been outspoken about sensitive issues for the government.

On this point at least, Husic was quickly shown to be correct. This week, without any notice or consultation, Trump’s administration included Australia among dozens of countries at risk of a new 12.5% trade tariff, imposed for supposedly failing to prevent slave labour.

The trade minister, Don Farrell, pushed back during talks with the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, in Paris, reminding him Australia has robust anti-slavery laws.

Polls suggest support for nuclear subs holds firm

On Aukus, no reconsideration will be forthcoming. Labor ministers were quick to point out Husic is just one MP within the caucus, with Conroy calling his comments “disingenuous”. He argued that Labor agreed to support Aukus before the so-called “optimal pathway” was agreed in 2023, a time when none of the specificity about the actual submarines had been settled and before key defence capability gaps were properly understood.

Lowy Institute polling on Aukus shows public support holding firm. In 2025, two-thirds of Australians said they were somewhat or strongly in favour, roughly steady compared to 2022. One-third of Australians were opposed to Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

A community-led inquiry will test confidence over the coming months. Launched this week with the former environment minister Peter Garrett as the lead commissioner, it will probably be a mild irritant for the government between now and its final report in October.

Organised by Aukus sceptics and outright opponents, the inquiry is set to hold its first hearings in Melbourne next week. Backed by trade unions and the Australia Institute thinktank, it received more than $85,000 in public donations in just four days this week, as well as 100 written submissions.

Other allies and partners around the world are watching, too.

Countries relying on Australia to exert authority as a middle power in the Indo-Pacific region have noted some political uncertainty related to Aukus, even early in a multi-decade process designed to secure submarine capability to deal with a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. If the Aukus subs are actually going to be useful in helping keep the peace, including against an assertive China, powers further away want to make sure they will materialise and can be relied on.

If the first 18 months of his second term are any guide, Trump’s unpopularity and erratic behaviour could badly test social licence for Aukus. While he has offered support for the deal and strongly praised the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, Trump could easily reverse course at any time and pull the rug out from under Labor. His mistreatment of allies like Australia might convince others that sending billions of dollars to the US for submarines is a bad idea.

Maintaining the “optimal pathway” ahead could be anything but straightforward.

With increasingly choppy waters, it’s little wonder Hammond and the government might be sensitive around talk about Aukus.