Speech for Palm Sunday 2025

HPG pays our respects to Awabakal and Worimi people owners of this land that has not been ceded and to their Elders past, present and emerging.

There is a union slogan – a wonderful slogan  “Peace and Justice Are Union Business”   History has shown us that over the many decades many unions have lived by these words – particularly the more left-wing unions.       When AUKUS was first announced a leaflet was drawn up about Peace is Union Business in which Warren Smith from the MUA stated -

 “Australia has its own self-defence capabilities to safeguard our security and sovereignty. The Australian people have the skills and knowledge to design and build our own local self-defence industries to protect our sovereignty we don’t need a defence policy that entrenches us in a nuclear horror story or become a nuclear target.”

Both the US and UK now have a big footprint in our decisions in the defence of this country – both the US  and UK now have the right to bring their nuclear powered and armed submarines here  and berth them in some of our ports, which has already occurred.    Both US and UK armaments companies have an ever-increasing footprint in Australia – with such  companies  being warmly welcomed by our government/s to set up shop, infiltrate our education system – in all states and which  sees our Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Industries with great glee, make announcement after announcement that yet another defence industry will be starting up.   Newcastle is one of their favourite places to do this – to make some component – some aggressive piece of weaponry – some missile, tank or drone that will not really be used to safeguard Australian shores – but will be sold on the open market for some country to purchase to use against some other country – all in the name of “border security ” –  or “The Chinese are a threat”.

The blowout in Australia going from having a defence policy that defends our shores to an aggressive manufacturing of killing components has been a gradual creep since Kim Beazley negotiated with the US for them to have a contingent of US Marines permanently settled in Darwin in 6 monthly rotations.

And then with PM Turnbull wanting Australia to be in the top 10 armament manufacturing countries in the world back in 2016 (I think).   Then we got  Morrison with his secret deal with the French to get nuclear subs – which  at a huge cost was dumped for what we have now THE AUKUS PACT  – A SECRET DEAL THAT UNFOLDS ITSELF VERY SLOWLY EACH TIME ANOTHER PART OF THIS AWFUL PACT  HAS TO BE HONOURED BY AUSTRALIA -   like the $500 million to help the US upgrade their shipyard where the virginia class subs are going to be built or, open another industry to help Lockheed Martin, BAE or Raethon make a component or two or more that will be part of the fitting out of these nuclear powered subs we are supposed to be getting and will be costing skywards of $368 billion.

The deal was secret – the deal is still secret – the folks – the Aussies of both persuasions in America – are currently working their butts off to keep the deal alive – a deal that  includes, probably the worst part,  that we have to construct a nuclear waste dump to store the nuclear waste from not just the subs we may get,  but it has been mooted all the nuclear subs the US have and have had over the decades?  Everybody in Australia should be out on the streets against this – it is insidious.         

Now we have people calling AUKUS out – calling for it to be stopped - the SMH calling for an Inquiry into AUKUS -  this entrenched secret deal that has created industries here in Australia that (the only good thing about them) brought proper, union conditions – well paid jobs to many who have not had a job in a long time – and to many of our wonderful tradesmen whose skills are being used and will be in the future but not to build peaceful  products, but to build war machines and components .

Where were these people when the announcement was first made?   Some like Keating spoke up – some unions spoke out – peace groups rallied and ANTI-AUKUS  groups have been formed across the world – all doing great things and saying the right thing.   But still AUKUS is there draining Australia’s purse.  Can we stop it?      Can we stop the US military footprint getting bigger and bigger here in Australia?    Can we stop the establishment of a nuclear waste dump somewhere on indigenous land, Hunter Peace Group would love to think so – but can we?  We all must support our Indigenous friends in their fight to oppose this.    

Apart from a few, the Unions have gone quiet.  Our wonderful NSW Teacher’s Federation is right out there opposing the militarisation of their schools and thus their students and so much more – they are a fine example of a union calling for Peace

Can we stop this?  Is there enough power, enough public will  in this country to stop this secret deal?  And, if there is what will be the cost?   Will the defence industry jobs that have been created be lost – making thousands unemployed again? 

Will the Government  be so broke from how much it will cost to get out of this deal (remember the French one) mean there is no money for  building the housing we desperately need; or the infrastructure;  no money to  keep TAFE free, to keep Medicare, and many of the other things the ALP wants to do should they win the election?

 On the other side -  should Dutton win - – there may not be enough money in the kitty for them to build their nuclear power plants and their waste dumps to store the spent rods and establish the uranium mines and enhancement process facility to make the nuclear power needed for this evil energy!!!! 

WHO KNOWS WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THIS ANTI-AUKUS CONSCIENCE THAT HAS ARISEN SINCE TRUMP WON POWER WILL BRING – OR HOW LONG IT WILL LAST.

BUT TO ALL OF US WHO HAVE BEEN ANTI AUKUS SINCE THE GET-GO WE MUST KEEP DOING ALL WE CAN AND ENCOURAGE MANY OTHERS TO JOIN US TO SEE THE END OF THIS EVIL, EXPENSIVE AND UNECESSARY AUKUS PACT AND SHOULD WE BE SUCCESSFUL, THAT IT DOES NOT AFFECT ANY OF THE SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN PROMISED BY OUR GOVERNMENTS.   

HUNTER PEACE GROUP HAS ALWAYS OPPOSED AUKUS AND WE SUPPORT THE CALL FOR AN INQUIRY INTO THE PACT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE AT THE TIME. 

Thank you.

13th April 2025.