MP moves to quash fears Illawarra will become a target under nuclear deal

Campaigners and traditional land owners rallied against a nuclear base at Port Kembla under the AUKUS security agreement, on Sunday, March 17.

"If Port Kembla becomes a nuclear sub base we're a nuclear target," nuclear activist Jane Taylor said.

The Coledale resident said funds should instead be directed to help the Australian people.

"What we want is $369 billion of Australian taxpayer money, which is our money, spent on making a healthy civilian life, our public hospital, public schools, public infrastructure," Ms Taylor said.

Afghanistan-born Rahima Sarmed, who has lived in Wollongong for 30 years, has seen war first-hand and fears a nuclear base in Port Kembla is preparation for war.

"I can't handle it to hear for the next 10 years we're planning a war," she said.

Federal MP for Whitlam, Stephen Jones, said the Illawarra is already a target.

"We already are a target, it's got more to do with the manufacturing base than any defence facility that's here," he said.

Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes declined to comment on whether the Illawarra would become a target and said it was a Defence matter.

"They would be taking all of those things [safety factors] into consideration when making a decision in the future," she said.

Aunty Sue Haseldine is among the traditional owners against the nuclear base and she reminded those gathered of nuclear incidents and testing including in Maralinga (Australia), Fukushima (Japan) and Chernobyl (Ukraine).

"Maralinga sent up clouds of black mist all over Australia and Tasmania, so we've already been poisoned once" she said.

South Coast Labor Council and NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) were among the unions represented at the rally.

NSWTF president Henry Rajendra told those gathered that all wars are fought against children and that he was speaking on behalf of the federation's 60,000 members.

"Not one of them is teaching for war, they're educating for peace," he said.

"They've easily found hundreds of billions of dollars for nuclear subs, but they're underfunding our public schools in NSW."

Unions and community groups had intended to gather at Port Kembla, but wet weather forced a last-minute move to the Girl Guide hall at Mount Kiera.

Mr Jones said nuclear capabilities in Australia's Defence Force are being done to keep Australia safe.

"The defence and strategic environment has changed dramatically over the last decade and the next 50 years aren't going to look like the last 50 years," he said.

"We need to significantly uplift our defence capacity to provide a credible threat to potential hostile actors in the region.

"The most modern and potent form of submarine is the nuclear submarine because they can stay down forever. They're the spaceships of the sea."

Ms Byrnes said no decision would be made on the location of a sub base until the end of the decade.

"All available options will be on the table," she said.