In the second of a six-part series on AUKUS infrastructure, the focus shifts to Henderson, where fragmented land tenure, commercial disruption and regulatory delays could block the facilities needed to sustain nuclear-powered submarines.

While Part 1 of this series outlined the technical constraints and the missing graving dock required for heavy nuclear submarine sustainment, the physical space to build that infrastructure remains locked in an administrative logjam.

To execute AUKUS Pillar 1, the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments announced the creation of a consolidated Defence Precinct at Henderson, south of Perth. This precinct is designed to house both heavy surface ship construction and the heavy depot maintenance facilities for Australia’s future fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines. However, translating a high-level master plan into certified waterfront infrastructure reveals an on-the-ground reality defined by fragmented land tenure, displaced commercial operations, severe physical encroachment, and competing naval priorities.

The land-tenure patchwork and commercial disruption

The primary obstacle at Henderson is not an absence of physical land, but who owns and occupies it. Unlike greenfield developments, the Henderson waterfront is a densely developed commercial maritime hub. Realising the........

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