Canberra: A majority of Australians doubt that the country will ever receive nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security agreement, a survey has found.
The survey conducted by independent market research firm Essential Research as part of its fortnightly polling on Australian issues, found that 60 per cent of respondents believe it is “not that likely” or “not likely at all” that the US will ever deliver submarines to Australia under AUKUS.
Six per cent of respondents to the survey, which is published by the Australian online edition of UK-based newspaper The Guardian, said they believe it is “very likely” that the AUKUS pact will deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, and 34 per cent said it is “quite likely,” Xinhua news agency reported.
A majority of respondents, among all age groups and genders, said they believe it is unlikely that Australia will receive the submarines. Respondents aged 55 and above were the most doubtful, with 65 per cent saying the delivery of the submarines is “not that likely” or “not likely at all.”
Asked about Australia’s relationship with other countries, 40 per cent rated that with the US as “positive,” down from 65 per cent in November 2023.
On July 26, Australia and the UK signed a 50-year commitment to the AUKUS defence treaty despite the United States’ ongoing review of the pact.
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and UK Defence Secretary John Healey signed the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty (the Geelong Treaty) at their meeting in Geelong, Victoria.
“The Geelong Treaty is a historic agreement, the commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defence cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I,” Marles and Healey said in a joint statement.
The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of their SSN-AUKUS submarines, according to the statement.
It will support the development of the personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems required for Australia’s SSN-AUKUS program, as well as support port visits and the rotational presence of a UK Astute-class submarine at HMAS Stirling under Submarine Rotational Force-West.
(IANS)
