Antinuclear

How US Power Came to Dominate Australian Sovereignty

17 December 2025 AIMN Editorial, By Denis Hay, https://theaimn.net/how-us-power-came-to-dominate-australian-sovereignty/

How US military and corporate power reshaped Australian sovereignty, limited democratic control, and constrained independent decision-making.

Introduction: When Control Slips Quietly

Many Australians feel that major national decisions are no longer made entirely in Canberra. Defence policy, foreign affairs, intelligence cooperation, and even economic priorities increasingly align with United States interests, often without meaningful public debate.

At the centre of this shift is Australian sovereignty, the ability of citizens, through democratic institutions, to decide the nation’s direction. This erosion did not occur through invasion or emergency powers. It occurred gradually, through treaties, trade agreements, military integration, and political choices made over decades.

The Origins of US Military Influence in Australia

ANZUS and the Post-War Security Mindset

The 1951 ANZUS Treaty embedded Australia within a US-led security framework. While often described as a mutual defence pact, it imposes no binding obligation on the United States to defend Australia.

Over time, strategic alignment hardened into an assumption. Independent defence thinking was increasingly treated as unrealistic.

Pine Gap and Intelligence Dependency

Pine Gap is often described as a joint facility. In practice, it primarily supports US intelligence, surveillance, and targeting systems. Australia receives help from access, but not operational control. This dependency discourages dissent. Restricting operations risks exclusion from the intelligence systems Australia now relies upon.

Source: ICAN: Pine Gap strategic analysis

From Ally to Forward Operating Platform

US Marines now rotate continuously through Darwin. Australian bases support US operations across the Indo-Pacific. Command systems and logistics are increasingly integrated. These changes occurred with limited parliamentary scrutiny, shifting Australia from ally to forward operating platform.

AUKUS and Strategic Lock-In

AUKUS commits Australia to decades of nuclear submarine dependency and foreign technology control. Decisions on deployment and escalation often fall outside democratic oversight. This significantly weakens independent defence policy.

Source: Parliament of Australia: Parliamentary Library AUKUS briefings

Foreign Influence in Australian Politics and the Economy

US corporations dominate defence procurement, digital platforms, energy services, and critical infrastructure. Privatisation transferred public assets into private, often foreign-owned, hands.

Trade agreements such as AUSFTA further limit regulatory freedom, allowing corporations to challenge laws designed to protect the public interest.Political Leadership, Capability, and Accountability

Successive governments approved deeper military and corporate integration with little public mandate. Many ministers responsible for defence and trade have limited experience outside party politics or corporate-aligned advisory roles. The revolving door between politics, lobbying, and defence contracting undermines independence and accountability.

Politics Ebook

Is This Treason or Democratic Breakdown?

Treason under Australian law requires intent to assist an enemy during wartime. That threshold is not met.

However, legality is different from legitimacy. What has occurred reflects dereliction of duty, erosion of democratic consent, and policy capture by foreign and corporate power.

Why Governments Now Fear Change

Challenging entrenched US dominance risks diplomatic pressure, intelligence withdrawal, capital flight, and media backlash. As a result, even modest reforms are framed as security threats. This is structural dependence, not conspiracy.

Australia’s Dollar Sovereignty and Defence Independence

Australia issues its own currency. It cannot run out of Australian dollars. Yet, governments behave as though public investment depends on foreign approval or balanced budgets.

This misunderstanding weakens Australia’s defence independence. A currency-sovereign nation can fund domestic industry, defence capability, infrastructure, and diplomacy using public money.

Source: Deakin University:  Currency creation.

December 21, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international