Rare earths and radioactive motor subs

In relation to our article Trump has ruled out allies, implying that too that with Aukus we have bought a p

Geoff Taylor, Perth, Feb 26, 2025

I refer to Andrew Farran’s article. We need to remember that just as we are now being asked to put our trust in Peter Dutton, after the Paris 2+2 meeting of Dutton and Marise Payne with their French counterparts, both Dutton and Payne’s official websites assured us that the French submarine deal was going swimmingly, only for AUKUS to surface days later.

Today, a “US fast-attack nuclear submarine has arrived at HMAS Stirling at Garden Island in the first of what is expected to be several visits to Australia this year”, says WAToday.

Which of 11 Oz rare earths companies will be the price? Remember, just as in the Ukraine, we will only find out from the US retrospectively. Or is the three quarters of a billion of our money already handed over enough for AUKUS sub visits? After all Donald’s man wants successive annual cuts of 8% to the US defence budget, so that will affect sub building capacity, and so our three quarter billion won’t avoid pedalling backwards, so maybe it will be a ransom for our rare earths industry.