IPAN Patrons: Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe AO & Kellie Tranter Lawyer & Human Rights Activist
MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 30 April 2025
- The US has been called out as unreliable ally from a range of quarters recently
- New Government must conduct an independent review of AUKUS and the Force Posture agreement
- IPAN Federal Election scorecard highlights many calls for independent review of AUKUS
- New opportunities for a regional neutral nonaligned defence strategy must be taken
‘Prominent voices have been speaking in unaccustomed unison about the unreliability of the United States as an ally’, stated Independent and Peaceful Australia Network spokesperson, Dr Colin Hughes. ‘And these voices must be heeded’.
Shadow Minister Andrew Hastie recently admitted Australia can’t take the US alliance for granted under President Donald Trump, saying ‘Trump’s America is no longer a reliable alliance and we must develop an alternative defence strategy to defend ourselves’, and ‘we need to be strong on our own two feet’[i], Dr Hughes stated.
Former Director of War Studies for the Australian Army, Dr Al Palazzo (now adjunct Professor at UNSW) has suggested Australia adopt the ‘strategic defensive method’ of waging war, ‘which doesn’t require a state to defeat its attacker. Rather, the state must deny the aggressor the ability to achieve their objectives’ . Dr Palazzo has also said that ‘it’s not too late to rethink’ Australia’s dependence on the US.[ii]
Honorary professor at ANU Former defence chief Admiral Chris Barrie, once among Australia’s most decorated champions of the US alliance, says he is no longer convinced the relationship between the two rusted-on allies holds firm, saying recently that ‘the ‘vandals in the White House have pushed the alliance to the brink of irrelevance’.[iii]
Retired Army Major General Michael Smith has said that: ‘Australian Nuclear Submarines paint a giant target for China’ and has also called on the next government to review the AUKUS nuclear submarines deal.[iv]
Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bob Carr recently described that ‘The US is utterly not a reliable ally’ and described ‘the potential failure of the [AUKUS] submarine transfer as a ‘colossal surrender of sovereignty.’[v]
‘With a new Government around the corner, there is a perfect opportunity to reshape Australia’s foreign affairs and defence policy’, stated Dr Hughes.
‘The bilateral agreement on AUKUS and the Force Posture Agreement demonstrates our complete subservience to the US and undermines our sovereignty” Dr Hughes stated.
Unfortunately, the Australian Government under Labor succumbed to political pressure to approve AUKUS, Dr Hughes said.
‘Now, however, prioritising the expenditure of AUKUS and the militarisation of our country over the social economic and environmental needs of our people must end’, Dr Hughes continued.
IPAN calls on the next government to conduct an independent review of AUKUS and the Force Posture agreements. These calls have been echoed by several political parties and independent candidates in the lead up to the Federal Election.
‘Instead of AUKUS, we must explore new opportunities for a regional neutral nonaligned defence strategy, said Dr Hughes. ‘We can learn from the Indonesian President, who when accused of talking to Russia about an airbase in East Indonesia, affirmed Indonesia’s policy of nonaligned neutrality to both China and the US’.
‘Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was warning us in the last years of his life that we need to develop independent self-reliant defence and foreign policies. His death in 2015 curtailed his message but now 10 years later his message is being heard.’, concluded Dr Hughes.
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For Media Interviews: Dr Colin Hughes 0403 027 323
IPAN Media Liaison: Jonathan Pilbrow 0403 611 815
Bio: Dr Colin Hughes first became politically active during the Vietnam War Moratorium when a medical student. He stood for the Senate for the Greens in WA in 2006, based on issues of nuclear disarmament and peace in Iraq. Dr Hughes is currently one of the WA representatives on IPAN’s national coordinating committee, and has extensive governance experience as a former head of Public Health in Perth and as chair of the College of GPs (WA).
[i] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-23/andrew-hastie-doubts-us-alliance-under-trump-election-2025/105206576
[ii] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/21/an-alternative-to-aukus-australia-strategic-defensive-approach?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
[iii] https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/former-defence-force-chief-says-us-is-no-longer-a-reliable-ally-to-australia/news-story/5b6fb35974d7ee7f2f53d9d8a2ad2435
[iv] https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/embedded-in-the-us-war-machine-retired-australian-army-major-general-calls-for-aukus-review/news-story/66c5e84cf964122239e4c73de6a7f3cf
[v] https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/former-defence-force-chief-says-us-is-no-longer-a-reliable-ally-to-australia/news-story/5b6fb35974d7ee7f2f53d9d8a2ad2435