The AUKUS Public Inquiry was launched in Parliament House in Canberra on 2 June 2026.
The five commissioners in charge of this inquiry include:
- Peter Garrett (Head commisioner and former Labor minister)
- Dr Carmen Lawrence (Former WA premier)
- Chris Barrie (Former Chief of the Australian Defence Force)
- Leanne Minshull (Co-CEO of The Australia Institute)
- Karina Lester (Yankunytjatjara woman and ICAN Australia ambassador).
So far, the inquiry has held a number of public hearings as listed below:
- Melbourne — Thursday, 11 June 2026 | View Livestream
- Fremantle — Monday, 29 June 2026 | View Livestream
- Adelaide — Thursday, 16 July 2026 | View Livestream
- A dedicated Adelaide First Nations Yarn was also held on 17 July 2026
- Live Q&A: The AUKUS Inquiry is Underway — Monday, 3 August 2026 | View Recording
- Sydney — Monday, 10 August 2026 | View Livestream
- Newcastle — Tuesday, 11 August 2026 | View Livestream
- Wollongong — Wednesday, 12 August 2026 | View Recording.
The Sydney session, held at NSW Parliament House on 10 August 2026, heard from a range of people including:
- Malcolm Turnbull AC (Former Prime Minister)
- Bob Carr (Former NSW Premier and Foreign Minister)
- Maritime Union of Australia (Presented by Warren Smith)
- NSW Teachers Federation (Presented by Natasha Watt and Kelly Marks)
- National Tertiary Education Union (Presented by Dr Lachlan Clohesy)
- Sydney Anti-AUKUS Coalition (Presented Pip Hinman and Peter Murphy)
- Dr Alex Byrne (Professional librarian and researcher)
- Prof Toby Walsh (Professor of AI, UNSW).
Many other presentations were made during the day’s proceedings, including one by Nick Deane on behalf of the Marrickville Peace Group. A video of his presentation can be viewed here. His written submission can be read here.
Future hearings are listed below:
- Brisbane — Tuesday, 25 August 2026
- Canberra — Wednesday, 2 September 2026 (Day One)
- Canberra — Thursday, 3 September 2026 (Day Two).
The inquiry is scheduled to conclude with the release of its final report by 30 October 2026.
Links
Full video of Sydney hearing (duration: 6 hr 28 min 18 sec)
AUKUS Public Inquiry website
Terms of Reference