AH, AUKUS, at its heart the A$368 billion purchase of nuclear attack subs that Paul Keating described as "the worst deal in all history."
and here's defence minister Dick Marles styling it as a jobs program.
investigative reporter Andrew Fowler has just published a book entitled "Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco That Sank Australia's Sovereignty." The book has been favorably reviewed as a forensic and excoriating analysis of the genesis of AUKUS.
the following comments are lifted from a review of Nuked in The Conversation and written by Mark Beeson, adjunct professor UTS. Below is a couple of extracts from the review.
BEESON: NUKED
"Nuked is worth a close reading to see how Fowler arrives at his damning conclusion: the level of incompetence in the government of Australia was breathtaking, as were the repercussions.
"The United States would be calling all the shots on what kind of submarines would be sold to Australia, how old they would be, how many there would be, when they would be delivered, and even if they would be sold at all.
"It was to be expected that Washington would act in its own best interests.
"What is extraordinary is the possibility that Morrison truly believed that what was best for the United States was best for Australia. Just as extraordinary is the fact that the Labor Party, perhaps fearful of history embraced the deal that made Australia so vulnerable, undermining its independence and sovereignty.
......
"It beggars belief that a country with unparalleled geographical advantages and no obvious enemies thinks it is a good idea to spend $368 billion on offensive military capabilities, which may or may not work or be delivered.
"Nuked explains how this situation came about. But we may need to ask psychologists why our political leaders have turned us into what the diplomat Alan Renouf famously called a “frightened country” and allowed such follies to flourish."
