Port Kembla ranked high for nuclear submarine base, inquiry report due
Peter Garrett told the Mercury about Port Kembla. It ranks "closer to the top than the bottom" among sites for a nuclear submarine base.
Australia's AUKUS public inquiry will release its final report next Wednesday in Canberra. It comes after several months of hearings and more than 1,000 submissions.
Lead commissioner Peter Garrett said Port Kembla is very much a preferred site. It ranks higher than Newcastle or Brisbane.
Port capacity and water depth constraints are the reason. The inquiry found strong public concern about the plan.
This was especially high in Illawarra. Garrett said locals got angrier as they learned more.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and ex-foreign ministers Gareth Evans and Bob Carr spoke against the project. The Albanese government was notably absent.
It has said a final choice will not come until the 2030s.
- just over 1,000
- Inquiry submissions received
- National Press Club, Canberra
- Report release location
- not until the 2030s
- Government decision timeline
Why it mattersThe inquiry's findings will shape public understanding of where Australia might base its most expensive defence project. They will also show what locals think of it.
AustraliaPort Kembla and the wider Illawarra region face potential major changes if selected as the nuclear submarine base, affecting the local economy and community.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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