‘Not the deal promised’: Labor’s Ed Husic questions Aukus pact that will deliver secondhand subs

Virginia-class USS North Dakota. Ed Husic says Australia can’t realistically expect US submarines to be handed over in the early 2030s under Aukus. Photograph: Us Navy/Reuters

Australia needs a backup plan for the Aukus submarine agreement, Labor MP Ed Husic has warned, arguing sluggish US production and the “transactional nature” of the Trump administration have put the multibillion-dollar defence deal at risk.

The defence minister, Richard Marles, this week agreed to US requests for Australia to accept three second-hand Virginia-class nuclear submarines, rather than a combination of new and old vessels.