IAEA Board of Governors
Agenda item 10: Any Other Business (AUKUS Partners’ Trilateral Update)
5 March 2026
Trilateral statement delivered by Mr Mat Fox, Alternate Representative of Australia to the IAEA
Chair
I have the honour of speaking on behalf of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to provide an update to the Board of Governors on Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
Colleagues will recall that at our last Board meeting, the Director General provided his latest report to the Board on Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion program. This was the Director General’s fourth such report, and outlined the detailed technical discussions that are continuing between Australia and the IAEA to develop a robust safeguards and verification approach for Australia’s program, including an arrangement under Article 14 of Australia’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. These consultations remain ongoing and include discussions on the structure of the Material Balance Area, the facility and the site for the new facilities related to Australia’s planned naval nuclear propulsion program; as well as technical discussion of safeguards by design.
As the Director General’s report indicates, Australia has continued to fulfil all reporting requirements under its CSA, Additional Protocol and Subsidiary Arrangements. And the IAEA has continued to conduct verification activities in relation to Australia’s NNP program, within the framework of Australia’s safeguards agreements. These activities have included complementary access and the collection of environmental samples at relevant locations.
The report also confirms that, once the Article 14 Arrangement is finalised, the Director General will transmit it to the Board of Governors for appropriate action. AUKUS partners fully support this approach.
We reiterate our commitment to ensuring that the safeguards and verification approach for Australia’s program sets the highest non-proliferation standard. We also reiterate our commitment to enabling the Agency to continue to meet its technical objectives at all stages of the lifecycle of Australia’s future submarines – so that the IAEA will be able to confirm that there has been no diversion of declared nuclear material; no misuse of declared nuclear facilities; and no undeclared nuclear material or activities in Australia.
Chair
We appreciated the substantive discussion of the Director General’s report on Australia’s NNP program at the November Board meeting, under the agenda item proposed by the Director General, as is appropriate. It was regrettable that China continues to insist on a parallel item separate to the Director General’s apolitical, technical, agenda item, at the expense of this Board’s valuable time. We fully support the Director General’s continued commitment to report to the Board on naval nuclear propulsion programs as he deems appropriate.
We will keep the Board informed of relevant developments in our trilateral cooperation on naval nuclear propulsion.
AUKUS partners continue to advance Australia’s ability to safely and securely operate and maintain its future conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. This includes the UK Submarine Maintenance Period (UKSMP), which is currently underway in Perth, Australia to support Australian personnel in developing the skills and capabilities required to operate and maintain a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet under AUKUS. All activities continue to be carried out in a manner fully consistent with AUKUS partners’ respective non-proliferation and safeguards obligations, including under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) and its Protocols and Australia’s safeguards agreements with the IAEA.
Australia’s commitment to ensuring that its naval nuclear propulsion program upholds the highest standards of nuclear safety was reinforced by the establishment, in November 2025, of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator. This independent statutory agency administers a strong regulatory framework, drawing on more than 70 years of safe nuclear propulsion practices in the US and UK, tailored to Australia’s operating environment.
Also in December 2025, the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Agreement between Australia and the UK – also known as the Geelong Treaty – entered into force. As we outlined to the Board in September 2025, the Geelong Treaty provides the framework for bilateral cooperation between Australia and the UK on a future class of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, based on a UK design and incorporating cutting edge technology from all three nations, known as the SSN-AUKUS, and for port visits and future rotations by UK conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. Australia and the UK reaffirm that all activities under the Treaty must be carried out in accordance with the Parties’ respective nuclear non-proliferation obligations, including under the NPT and the Treaty of Rarotonga and its Protocols, Australia’s safeguards agreements with the IAEA, and in accordance with their respective obligations under the trilateral ANNPA.
Chair
AUKUS partners remain fully committed to transparency and welcome opportunities to address genuine questions regarding Australia’s program. One such upcoming opportunity is the NPT Review Conference in New York, during which AUKUS partners will host a side event on our cooperation under AUKUS. We will continue to share updates at future Board meetings and in other fora, as appropriate.
Thank you, Chair.