Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating criticized the Albanese government for yielding to U.S. influence in the trilateral Australia-UK-U.S. (AUKUS) nuclear submarine pact, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Saturday. During a television program Paul Keating claims Australia is caving to U.S. demands over AUKUS, Keating argued that AUKUS is fundamentally about America’s military control over Australia. He warned that the Albanese government’s policies risk turning Australia into “the 51st state of the United States.”
Keating emphasized that Australia is a continent with no shared borders and faces no imminent threats. He suggested that the only potential danger to Australia comes from having an “aggressive ally” like the United States, which could provoke conflict in the region due to its involvement in AUKUS.
He further explained that if Australia did not align itself with an aggressive power like the U.S., there would be no reason for any nation to attack it. Keating asserted that the U.S. is confrontational because it seeks to dominate China, despite China having no strategic ambitions in Australia.
ABC also quoted Keating expressing concern that the growing presence of U.S. military bases in Australia will overshadow the country’s own military capabilities. He warned that Australia could be perceived by the U.S. as merely an extension of American power, similar to territories like Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam.
Keating concluded that such a scenario would reduce the Australian government to the role of a “national administrator” for what would be seen across Asia as a U.S. protectorate.
