The AUKUS agreement is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US. It was negotiated in secret in 2021.  Scott Morrison negotiated the deal furtively, keeping his cabinet in the dark and lying to the French.

He is no longer in office. Neither are the other leaders involved, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson. Though we voted Morrison out, there has been no parliamentary scrutiny in Australia of his deal. It is still shrouded in secrecy, despite the high stakes and eye-watering projected cost.

Retired major-general Michael Smith described it as “the worst defence decision since we relied on Britain to defend us in World War II”. Polls confirm the Australian public has very little information about AUKUS. They also show the community doesn’t like what we do know about the deal.

Aiming to promote informed discussion, the Australian Peace and Security Forum convened a Public Inquiry into the agreement. It set out to consider the fundamental questions: Would AUKUS keep us safe? At what cost? The inquiry has........

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