Australia PM Warns of ‘Arc of Autocracy’ as Government Pledges $10 Billion for New Submarine Base

Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin is seen during AUSINDEX 21, a biennial maritime exercise between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy in Darwin, Australia, on Sept. 5, 2021. POIS Yuri Ramsey/Australian Defence Force via Getty Images

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to splash AU$10 billion (US$7.3 billion) on a new nuclear submarine base on the east coast of Australia, as he warns the world to be ready for a “new arc of autocracy.”

In a speech to the Lowy Institute on March 7, the prime minister said the invasion of Ukraine was the “latest example of an authoritarian regime seeking to challenge the status quo through threats and violence.”