Australia’s $368 billion AUKUS submarine deal raises more questions than it answers. Led by Scott Morrison, a prime minister who had a habit of covert dealings and fudging reality, it is one of the most egregious expenditures in the nation’s history. In this new series, investigations editor David Hardaker delves into the reality of the political relationships with defence and its lucrative contracts.
https://www.crikey.com.au/topic/inside-aukus/
Gotland class submarines
https://www.facebook.com/interestingengineering/videos/662395635773083/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotland-class_submarine
Deisel/ electric submarines need to surface for air every few days.
One of the supposed advantages of nuclear submarines is they can stay submerged for weeks or months without needing to surface for air.
The Gotland class of submarines from the Kockums shipyard in Sweden are the first to be powered by sterling engines while submerged. It allows them to stay submerged for weeks at a time, and they are also very quiet, stealthy and highly maneuverable. In trials, they have recorded significant kills.
What criteria were used to select nuclear-powered submarines for Australia? They are an extremely poor choice on cost and times scale to deliver. It would take decades to build up the infrastructure and expertise to be able to manage and handle nuclear-powered vessels. The political issues with nuclear power alone are a major barrier to a successful program.
Australia currently has a fleet of six Collins-class submarines. The Gotland class of submarines would be worth exploring, as they were both based on designs by the Kockums shipyards in Sweden and the transfer of technology would be more seamless, compared to nuclear-powered submarines. With sterling engines they may offer many of the advantages that the nuclear-powered submarines are supposed to offer.
The Collins class is an enlarged version of the Kockums Västergötland-class submarine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins-class_submarine
AUKUS Dissent has ALP power-brokers worried
Over twenty ALP branches around Australia have now passed anti-AUKUS resolutions and the list is growing by the day.
Many of the branches are calling on the Albanese government to withdraw from the pact while others want a parliamentary inquiry into the $368 Billion deal…
https://johnmenadue.com/aukus-dissent-has-alp-power-brokers-worried/
Nuclear-Free Campaign – Friends of the Earth
The end of Oppenheimer’s nuclear energy dream: Modular reactors supported by ideology alone
Interesting article from a knowledgeable author about the nuclear industry, and the true potential for small reactors (very little, if any).
CT Group Investigation at Crikey.com.au
https://www.crikey.com.au/topic/crosby-textor-the-ultimate-insiders/
Crosby Textor was the early master of smart polling and cut-through political messaging for conservative politics. But 20 years on, the organisation, rebranded as C|T Group, has moved to the very centre of political power while also acting as lobbyists. In a new Crikey series, investigations editor David Hardaker examines C|T’s unique business model and the international levers it pulls.
AUKUS Subs
4 Corners – ABC Australia – The Nuclear Impasse (1999)
A report about the Pangea proposal for a nuclear waste dump in Australia.
Traditional owners win court case to stop nuclear waste dump in South Australia
“Traditional owners opposing the federal government’s plan for a nuclear waste dump on their land in South Australia have had a major win, with a court ruling the facility can’t be built.
The Barngarla people were jubilant outside the federal court in Adelaide on Tuesday after justice Natalie Charlesworth said the commonwealth’s decision to build the dump near Kimba would be set aside.”
