Treaties Committee to review AUKUS nuclear submarine information exchange agreement

THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold an inquiry into the agreement between the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) for the Exchange of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information (ENNPI).

Committee Chair Dave Sharma MP said, "This agreement will allow Australia to access critical naval nuclear propulsion information from the United States and United Kingdom, and allow the exchange of sensitive and classified naval nuclear propulsion information with a third country for the first time.

"It will help determine the optimal pathway for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy, one of the most important strategic military capabilities for Australia in the decades ahead."

The ENNPI Agreement will also provide a mechanism for Australian personnel to access training and education from the UK and US counterparts, necessary for learning how to safely build, operate and support nuclear-powered submarines.

The committee is now accepting submissions and will hold a public hearing on Monday, November 29, 2021.

Further information on the inquiry can be found on the Committee website.

Submissions

Submissions to the inquiry are now open and close on Friday, November 26, 2021.

Public hearing

The committee will hold a public hearing on Monday, November 29, 2021 at 11.15am AEDT.

The program for the hearing will be made available online and the hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

 

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