A campaign group within the Australian Labor Party has called on the Albanese government to pursue a foreign policy independent from the United States, expressing concern about the expanding presence of the US military on Australian soil. Labor Against War, an internal party group, argues that the US has involved Australia in “wars of aggression” for over five decades and urges a reconsideration of Australia’s alliance with Washington.
Recent data compiled by Dr. Richard Tanter, a senior research associate at the Nautilus Institute, indicates that the US military and American defense contractors control or have access to more than 110 military facilities across Australia, representing over half of the country’s total military installations. Among these are 17 facilities directly controlled by the US military, with access to an additional 75 Australian-run bases, plus 18 sites utilized by US defense corporations. This information has not been disputed by the government.
Marcus Strom, national convener of Labor Against War, stated the breadth of US military infrastructure within Australia threatens the nation’s sovereignty, calling for Australia to move away from reliance on Washington, including abandoning the Aukus nuclear submarine agreement.
Defending the government’s stance in Senate question time, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong emphasized that the alliance with the US supports Australian sovereignty and provides capabilities that Australia could not independently access. She maintained that all US military activities occur “at Australia’s invitation” and insisted the facilities remain “Australian bases under Australian command.”
Greens Senator David Shoebridge challenged Wong, pointing to concerns among Australians living near US bases who fear these sites could become targets in future conflicts, citing recent attacks on US installations in the Middle East amid tensions with Iran. Shoebridge questioned whether Australian bases could place the country at greater risk during US military engagements abroad. Wong responded that access to bases is rotational, mutually agreed upon, and subject to Australian approval, denying that Australia is automatically committed to US conflicts.
One of the most prominent joint US-Australian defense facilities is Pine Gap near Alice Springs, established by the CIA in the 1960s. Reports from leaked documents reveal that the senior officer at Pine Gap is an American who reports to the US National Reconnaissance Office, while his deputy is a senior Australian Signals Directorate official. Former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has described Pine Gap as “more American than Australian.” Other US-controlled sites include the GPS monitoring station at RAAF Edinburgh in South Australia and the Learmonth solar observatory in Western Australia.
In diplomatic developments, Defence Minister Richard Marles recently visited the United States, where he and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth agreed to accelerate initiatives to enhance US military presence and cooperation in Australia. Marles highlighted that the expanded American force posture across all domains within Australia serves to strengthen deterrence and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, which he said aligns with Australia’s national interests.