Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference 2024, and AUKUS in Perth

Written by: Allan M. on 29 July 2024

Between 24-26 July 2024, Perth was host to the Indian Ocean Defence and Security (IODS) Conference. Promoted as the place "where AUKUS meets the Quad", IODS 2024 was a who's who in industrial murder.

Representatives from the governments, militaries, and arms industries of the United States, United Kingdom, India, Japan, and of course Australia, were rushing to applaud the escalating arms race. The focus of IODS 2024 was clearly the AUKUS arrangement and Australia's involvement in the US led 'Quad' military partnership. However, a significant amount of time was made available to speakers from weapons manufacturing companies in order to promote their lethal products.

Perth workers and students rallied in protest against this celebration of killing for profit and were disgusted by the attendance of arms manufacturers, particularly RAFAEL Systems, who produce and sell weapons currently being used to perpetrate the genocide in Gaza. Protests organised by a coalition of unionists, activists, and students were held over the course of the IODS conference to demonstrate Perth's anger at hosting facilitators of crimes against humanity.

On 24 July, Perth workers and students opened their week of action against IODS 24. Standing in the cold and surrounded by police, activists were there to disrupt the arrival of IODS attendees, letting them know their efforts to militarise Australia and continue the murder in Gaza were not welcome. Many IODS attendees scuttled to the conference centre door with their heads down, some sneered and laughed between themselves, and others pretended to not to notice. However, none were able to walk past without hearing from the powerful speakers and the shouts from the angered Perth community. Speakers included Palestinian activists from Friends of Palestine WA, who spoke to the clear connection between Australia's integration in the imperialist military industrial complex and the bombing of civilians in Gaza. Other speakers included WA Greens Senator Dorinda Cox, and union activists who spoke to the building of worker power to end systematised violence for profit and building a more peaceful society.

Protests continued on 25 July to disrupt speakers from RAFAEL Systems, culminating in a march through the city to make it clear that war criminals, and their enablers, are not welcome here. Weekly protests against Australia's complicity in the war in Gaza continue.

AUKUS in Perth

As IODS 2024 was being prepared, the Australian Government announced its plans to house a radioactive waste facility on Garden Island, off the coast of Perth, to store waste from America, British, and eventually Australian nuclear powered submarines. These plans, and its announcement, come in spite of vocal opposition from community members closest to the facility, with Rockingham residents consistently expressing their disapproval of the project.

Defence Industry Minister, Pat Conroy, was quick to dismiss large-scale community concern over this announcement by downplaying the purpose and extent of this facility, and making a deceptive comparison to radioactive waste handled by hospitals. This is a blatant and disrespectful lie from the Defence Industry Minister. Australian hospitals are not powered by nuclear reactors, unlike the American and British submarines that require highly enriched uranium for fuel. The vice-president of the Medical Association for Prevention of War has pointed out that nuclear waste from hospitals, usually generated from medical imagery, are short-lived and usually only need to be stored for 2-3 months, while nuclear waste from submarines will need to be stored for 300 years. The hospital comparison is all the more egregious as these medical facilities are intended to save lives, and are entirely necessary to support the health of our population, while the AUKUS endeavour has been made through the choices of a tiny minority of political elites that are focussed on ending lives in the Pacific.

Rockingham Mayor, Deb Hamblin, was also quick to dismiss her constituents, noting that the safety assessments indicated that in a 'worst case scenario' any radioactive hazards off-site were "negligible". Worst case scenarios were noted as being, among others, bushfires. Mayor Hamblin may have forgotten that we are in a climate crisis, and WA's bushfire season now extends to 8 out of 12 months in a year. She may have also forgotten the recent bushfires in the south of Perth that threatened the homes of thousands of people, or that Garden Island has significant areas of bushland. The residents of Rockingham certainly have a right to feel concerned about the "negligible" radioactive hazards and the presence of nuclear reactors on their doorstep. Unfortunately, their concerns have fallen on deaf ears, with submissions to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) being kept from the public eye. Mayor Hamblin commented on the secretive and limited consultation process, saying she was satisfied with the level of consultation.

Instead of advocating and elevating the concerns of Rockingham residents, the Mayor commented on the numerous benefits that the AUKUS project would bring, including housing (for American and British military personnel), advanced manufacturing, and most bizarrely, tourism. Many Australians may struggle to see how AUKUS would deliver any of those benefits to the residents of Perth, except for the select few who live on Garden Island and work for the AUKUS alliance. Most Australians would probably also struggle to see how those benefits would be realised in the event of a nuclear conflict. Mayor Hamblin has not commented on that point.

Finally, the Mayor commented that Rockingham residents will support the AUKUS announcement as Rockingham has always been a "defence city". This author has been a Western Australian all their life, and has never once known Rockingham as a "defence city". To most Western Australians, Rockingham is known for its beautiful coast, marine environment, and quiet lifestyle. It is also well known for its wealth inequality and socioeconomic disadvantage. The billions of dollars wasted on the AUKUS project would certainly be better spent on fighting against poverty and disadvantage. The residents of Rockingham are continuing to fight for just that, and despite the repeated dismissals and lack of consultation, are still advocating against militarisation on their doorstep.

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