:STATS [links:https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/]
[icon:DOLLAR] Official projected total cost | $368 billion
[icon:DOLLAR] Cost including nuclear waste management | ~$548 billion
[icon:DOLLAR] Nuclear waste management alone | ~$180 billion
[icon:DOLLAR] Paid to US and UK so far | $10 billion
[icon:USERS] Cities where public hearings were held | 8

:SANKEY [title:AUKUS projected cost breakdown (AUD), links:https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/]
Total cost -> Submarine program | 368000
Total cost -> Nuclear waste management | 180000

:QUOTE [links:https://thepoint.com.au/new/261104-aukus-should-be-scrapped-npc, quotetype:plain, subtitle:Peter Garrett - lead commissioner at the National Press Club (4 Nov 2026)]
AUKUS is the worst, riskiest and most costly defence decision ever made by an Australian government.

:TABLE [title:What the inquiry found vs government position, links:https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/nov/04/aukus-worst-australian-defence-decision-ever-public-inquiry]
Topic | Inquiry finding | Government position
Submarine delivery | "Next to no hope" of on-time delivery | Full-steam ahead
Nuclear waste site | No location publicly named | No comment
Sovereignty | Lacks enforceable obligations or refund clause | Secure agreement
Upfront payment | $10B paid with no binding return | Investment in partnership
Royal Commission | Calls for one into how the deal was made | Opposed

:TIMELINE [links:https://newshub.medianet.com.au/2026/11/aukus-pillar-1-should-be-immediately-scrapped-australia-deserves-a-royal-commission-into-the-aukus-deception/180129/]
AUKUS: how we got here and what happens next
2021-09-01 | AUKUS announced by Morrison, Biden and Johnson - Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines
2023-03-01 | Optimal Pathway revealed: Virginia-class subs to be purchased from US, then SSN-AUKUS class
2026-05-01 | Deal revised: sole newly-built Virginia-class submarine removed, citing US production constraints
2026-06-02 | Independent public inquiry launches, led by Peter Garrett, with 5 commissioners and crowd-funded at $220,000
2026-10-01 | 10 full-day public hearings completed across 8 Australian cities
2026-11-04 | Final report "Surrendering Australia: the AUKUS Deception" released at National Press Club
Government has not indicated any formal response or review

:INFO
What we know
The inquiry is independent and crowd-funded, not a parliamentary body. Its 17 recommendations are non-binding. Former ADF Chief Admiral Chris Barrie called the submarine plan "untenable." Former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, testifying to the inquiry, said the deal "will likely prove one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions the nation has made." Both major parties - Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition - support AUKUS; a Greens Senate motion for an official inquiry was voted down by both.

:INFO
What is not yet known
• A permanent site for Australia's share of nuclear waste has not been publicly named.
• Whether the SSN-AUKUS submarines will be delivered on any schedule is unresolved, following the May 2026 removal of the first Virginia-class boat.
• No date has been set for a government response to the inquiry's recommendations.
• The inquiry calls for an Australian National Audit Office review; none has been ordered.

:NOTE
Sources: AUKUS Public Inquiry official report (aukuspublicinquiry.com); The Guardian (4 Nov 2026); The Point (4 Nov 2026); MediaNet/Newshub press release (4 Nov 2026); Yahoo News Australia; Press News Agency. Primary source is the inquiry report itself. Nuclear waste cost figure (~$180B) and total (~$548B) are the inquiry's estimates; the official government projection is $368B.