AUKUS nuclear subs pass key US hurdle

"I know the business of making sausages can sometimes be untidy, messy, prolonged, but ultimately, there's a sausage at the end, and so it is with the passage of legislation," the former prime minister said. The AUKUS provision would allow the Secretary of State to exempt licensing or other approval requirements on export and transfer of US defence technology and knowledge between the US and Australia. These tough rules, known as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), have arguably held back defence co-operation between the US and Australia. The current US export controls on Australia are indiscriminate, meaning Australia…