Media
|
Media Releases
July 30, 2026
In an interview with ABC 7.30 last night, the Defence Industry Minister claimed US nuclear submarines at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia (SRF-West) would be gone by 2032.
In response to questions from host Sarah Ferguson about whether nuclear-equipped US submarines would rotate through the base, he said: “Firstly, Submarine Rotation Force West is due to come to an end in the early 2030s, so the time frames don't exactly overlap.”
Pat Conroy has used this interview to effectively serve an eviction notice to the US Navy from HMAS Stirling before they have even arrived. That he did so while he was in the United States is even worse.
But in a bizarre contradiction, Minister Conroy now appears to have walked back his claim in further comments made today to media outlets including The Australian, when he said it would be “very likely” there would be an ongoing US Navy presence at HMAS Stirling and it just “may not be called SRF-West.”
Either US submarines will continue to rotate through HMAS Stirling beyond 2032, in which case it is not an answer to questions about our Treaty of Rarotonga obligations, or the Minister has publicly evicted our AUKUS ally from Western Australia.
A confused Minister is bad for Australians and for Australia’s security.
Minister Conroy’s comments require urgent clarification for the sake of the alliance and the deterrence posture we need for our own security.
Pat Conroy’s boss, Richard Marles, must make clear today: are US submarines welcome in WA beyond 2032 or not?
ENDS