Media banned as Fitzgibbon and Sinodinos hit the road to ‘unleash’ the power of AUKUS

Former ministers Joel Fitzgibbon and Arthur Sinodinos have embarked on an adventure together, co-chairing a business organisation aimed at taking advantage of the AUKUS defence pact. 

The two are criss-crossing the country at events to promote the organisation, AUKUS Forum, and have events entitled “Unleashing the regional power of AUKUS” planned in Burnie, Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, and in Bathurst and Broken Hill in NSW. 

There is a strict media ban at all events — “no media, no cameras, no mobile phone filming”, invitations say — but neither former politician has been shy about plugging the forum on their social media channels. 

“A great outcome that wilk [sic] drive Australian industry development and skills formation by creating a more seamless approach to tech transfer and information sharing with our close allies and partners, this is a moonshot for Australia, failure is not an option,” wrote Sinodinos in a recent LinkedIn post about an AUKUS announcement. 

Sinodinos’ glittering CV includes roles most recently as Australia’s former ambassador to the US, former Liberal industry minister under PM Malcolm Turnbull and assistant treasurer under Tony Abbott, and before that prime minister John Howard’s chief of staff. 

Fitzgibbon, a Labor defence and agriculture minister under Kevin Rudd, has said in one LinkedIn post that the AUKUS Forum is aimed at “maximising Australian industry participation in the AUKUS pact”. 

The coalmining enthusiast and longstanding former member for Hunter has recently questioned whether Australia should embrace nuclear power, joining the “good people” of the World Nuclear Association at last year’s COP28 climate conference to call for a “sensible conversation” about allowing nuclear plants, as he put it in a LinkedIn post.

Fitzgibbon and Sinodinos were announced as the co-chairs of the forum in August. As Crikey reported last week, investors and businesses in all three AUKUS countries have been organising networks to take advantage of money-making and innovation opportunities enabled by the defence pact. 

While pillar one of the pact — the transfer of nuclear-driven submarines to Australia — has received the most attention in Australian media, it’s the second pillar that’s most interesting to private investors. Pillar two enables information and technology sharing between the US, Australia and the UK, including by tearing down trade barriers. 

The AUKUS partners hope to advance eight priority research areas through pillar two: undersea capabilities; quantum technologies; artificial intelligence; advanced cyber capabilities; hypersonic capabilities; electronic warfare; innovation and information sharing. 

Sinodinos and Fitzgibbon have high-level connections through their former official positions. Sinodinos’ LinkedIn page features a picture of the then-ambassador alongside US President Joe Biden, and Fitzgibbon has posed for pictures with current Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy. 

Crikey tried to reach AUKUS Forum via phone and email, and sent a list of questions to it, but did not get a response before deadline.