The Albanese government will stare down union and grassroots Labor dissent against the Aukus nuclear-submarine acquisition, offering reassurances about non-proliferation and waste but rejecting hostile motions at the party’s national conference.
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, and the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, will move a 32-paragraph statement arguing the submarines are important to deter “aggression” and committing to deliver “well paid union jobs”.
Labor will allow a debate on Friday morning on a motion that would remove a positive mention of Aukus from the party’s platform, ventilating the issue in a form unlikely to embarrass the government. Opponents of Aukus concede the push will not be successful.
The Aukus nuclear-submarine acquisition is opposed by more than 50 Labor units, a mixture of party branches and federal electoral councils. It is also opposed by left-aligned unions including the Electrical Trades Union, Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.
Unions will push to remove a reference to Aukus in the draft national platform, which states “our self-reliant defence policy will be enhanced by strong bilateral and multilateral defence relationships, including Aukus”.
The maritime union official Christy Cain told Guardian Australia the Aukus plan to spend $368bn on nuclear-powered submarines while some argue more can’t be spent on housing is “the tail wagging the dog – it’s ridiculous”.
The ETU national secretary, Michael Wright, said “our position is we don’t support nuclear except for its application in medical research”.
The Labor Against War national convener, Marcus Strom, said “national conference is just the start of our campaign”.
“It will be a victory for the rank and file just to force the debate on to conference floor.
“Labor’s rank and file overwhelmingly oppose Aukus and see it as a loss of sovereignty, opening the door to a nuclear industry and a dangerous step putting Australia on an unnecessary ‘war footing’ with our largest trading partner.”
Marles has engaged with Aukus critics for months to develop a compromise designed to recognise Labor has a tradition in nuclear non-proliferation and providing for the national security and defence of Australia.
Marles and Conroy’s statement, to be appended to the platform, gives detailed reasons for Labor’s support for Aukus and an explanation of how nuclear-powered submarines can be delivered consistent with Labor values.
It argues that “making our contribution to the collective security of our region and to the maintenance of the global rules-based order – so fundamental to Australia’s prosperity – is at the heart of Australia’s strategic intent behind acquiring a conventionally armed, modern and fit for purpose nuclear-powered submarine capability”.
It notes that submarines will add to “Australia’s sovereign capability” and commits to build SSN-Aukus class submarines in South Australia “with a peak of 4,000 workers employed to design and build the infrastructure at Osborne and a further 4,000 to 5,500 jobs created to build the submarines”.
“Building Australia’s military defence capability sits alongside our diplomatic efforts, as we play our part in collective deterrence of aggression,” it says.
“By having strong defence capabilities of our own, and by working with partners investing in their own capabilities, we change the calculus for any potential aggressor.
“Labor will redouble its efforts to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime, including the NPT. Labor will ensure Australia remains fully committed to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, known as the Treaty of Rarotonga.
“Labor will uphold its proud history of championing practical disarmament efforts, its commitment to high non-proliferation standards and its enduring dedication to a world without nuclear weapons.”
On Thursday the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said the Coalition was “hand-in-glove with the government when it comes to the Aukus arrangement”. “But as we’ve seen, you’ve got hard left Labor members … they are vehemently opposed to the Aukus deal.”
Dutton also claimed a leftwing backlash was “why the prime minister won’t initiate or won’t take part in the conversation about small modular reactors, zero emissions”.
In his keynote speech on Thursday morning, Anthony Albanese said delivering for Australians meant “demonstrating our responsible approach to everything from the economy to foreign policy to national security”.
Albanese also took aim at the Coalition’s energy policy, accusing them of “telling Australians with solar panels on their roofs to make way for a nuclear power plant in their back yard”.
