The Citizens Report

The Citizens Report

Australia’s Military Sovereignty Has Been Surrendered to the US | Citizens Report 8 October 2026

Oct 9, 2026 · 49 min · 12 segments

Australia’s military sovereignty is being eroded by growing US military access and control across Australian defence facilities. Elisa Barwick and Citizens Party researcher Richard Barden examine how…

Australia’s military sovereignty is being eroded by growing US military access and control across Australian defence facilities. Elisa Barwick and Citizens Party researcher Richard Barden examine how the US military presence, AUKUS and the Force Posture Agreement risk drawing Australia into a war with China without meaningful control over the decision. They explain the Citizens Party’s proposed Australian Sovereignty Restoration of Military Independence and Parliamentary War Powers Bill 2026, which aims to restore parliamentary oversight of foreign military agreements and protect Australia’s right to decide when it goes to war. Also discussed this week: - Correction … One Nation didn’t backflip on gas (apparently) - Australia Post inquiry needs you! A call for communities affected by Australia Post closures to make their voices heard in the Senate inquiry. Chapters 0:00 - Introduction: US Military Saturation of Australia 2:29 - David Shoebridge Challenges Australia’s Foreign Policy Consensus 4:08 - Is Australia Being Prepared for War with China? 8:20 - Citizens Party’s Sovereignty Restoration Bill 2026 9:28 - The US-Australia Force Posture Agreement Explained 12:44 - US Military Expansion and Access to Australian Bases 16:08 - How Extensive Is US Military Access to Australia? 20:11 - Pine Gap, US Intelligence and Australian Sovereignty 24:24 - US Military Saturation and the Loss of Sovereignty 27:16 - Restoring Parliamentary Control Over Military Agreements 34:29 - One Nation’s Gas Reservation Policy: What Changed? 42:55 - Australia Post Closures: The Senate Inquiry Needs You 47:14 - Post Office Closures: Contact Senators and Demand Action - Statement on the new bill: End defence treaties that weaken Australia’s sovereignty - https://citizensparty.org.au/media-releases/end-defence-treaties-that-weaken-australias-sovereignty - New database shows Australia’s ‘saturation’ by US military-industrial complex by Richard Bardon, Australian Alert - https://citizensparty.org.au/documentation-new-database-shows-australias-saturation-by-us-military-industrial-complex Save Post Office campaign: - Email the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee secretariat at ec.sen@aph.gov.au to request they hold more hearings, even if they have to extend the inquiry, to give impacted communities their say. - Call all members of the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee, find their details here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/References_Committee_Membership --------------------- Become a member of the Australian Citizens Party: https://citizensparty.org.au/membership?utm_source=Soundcloud&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=20261008_cit_rep Donate to support the Citizens Party campaigns: https://citizensparty.org.au/donate?utm_source=Soundcloud&utm_medium=end_screen&utm_campaign=cit_rep_donation&utm_content=20261008_cit_rep Sign the Citizens Party Petition to Save Australia's post offices!: https://info.citizensparty.org.au/save-post-offices Subscribe to the Australian Alert: https://info.citizensparty.org.au/subscribe?utm_source=Soundcloud&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=AAS_subscibe&utm_content=20261008_cit_rep Sign up for ACP Email Alerts: https://citizensparty.org.au/join-email-list Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CitizensPartyAU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CitizensPartyAU X: https://x.com/CitizensPartyAU TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@citizenspartyau YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/CitizensPartyAU LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/citizenspartyau Telegram: https://t.me/CitizensPartyAU #USMilitaryBases #PineGap #AUKUS #AustralianPolitics #OneNation #GasReservation #AustraliaPost #SaveOurPostOffices #costofliving #AustralianSovereignty #CitizensPartyAU #AustralianEconomy #CitizensParty #AustralianNews #PoliticalCommentary #AustralianPodcast #AusPol

Australia’s military sovereignty is being eroded by growing US military access and control across Australian defence facilities. Elisa Barwick and Citizens Party researcher Richard Barden examine how…

Foreign Military Saturation and Political Dissent0:55 – 8:20

Richard BardenGuest

0:55

And no, this is not an immigration whinge.

Elisa BarwickHost

0:58

No.

Elisa BarwickHost

0:59

Uh, the coalition released its immigration policy this week, uh, but we are not talking about that kind of foreign saturation.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:07

Uh, but the word saturation is in quotation marks.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:11

Uh, it refers, however, to the saturation by the United States military of Australia's-

Richard BardenGuest

1:20

Yeah

Elisa BarwickHost

1:20

... um, land mass.

Richard BardenGuest

1:21

The whole US military industrial complex, the corporations, the military itself, pretty much just taking over everything.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:31

Mm.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:31

Tech firms, um, and the inter- uh, interaction between-

Richard BardenGuest

1:36

Yeah.

Richard BardenGuest

1:36

Interoperability or interchangeability-

Elisa BarwickHost

1:38

Yes

Richard BardenGuest

1:38

... as Mr. Marles now calls it, and, uh, and what they call path dependence for all of the war material-

Elisa BarwickHost

1:46

Mm-hmm

Richard BardenGuest

1:46

...

Richard BardenGuest

1:46

the defense, um, the weapons, the weapons systems, the technology, the systems to run them, to target them-

Elisa BarwickHost

1:51

Yeah

Richard BardenGuest

1:51

... it's all controlled by the Americans.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:53

S- so Australia, US, seamless interaction.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:57

Um, and we'll get into that in a bit of depth in a moment.

Elisa BarwickHost

2:00

But I wanted to preface it, um, by saying that more significant than the, uh, announcements on immigration by the leaders of the coalition, um, this week, is... was the, um, pronouncements by the new leader of the Greens, David Shoebridge, and this indicates a real, uh, significant shift point in the...

Elisa BarwickHost

2:25

We talk a lot about the consensus that governs the uni party.

Richard BardenGuest

2:29

Mm.

Elisa BarwickHost

2:29

I mean, everyone talks about the uni party, but the key about that apparatus is what binds it together, what creates it, and we've said a lot about the economic consensus behind the uni party.

Foreign Military Saturation and Political Dissent0:55 – 8:20

Richard BardenGuest

0:55

And no, this is not an immigration whinge.

Elisa BarwickHost

0:58

No.

Elisa BarwickHost

0:59

Uh, the coalition released its immigration policy this week, uh, but we are not talking about that kind of foreign saturation.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:07

Uh, but the word saturation is in quotation marks.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:11

Uh, it refers, however, to the saturation by the United States military of Australia's-

Richard BardenGuest

1:20

Yeah

Elisa BarwickHost

1:20

... um, land mass.

Richard BardenGuest

1:21

The whole US military industrial complex, the corporations, the military itself, pretty much just taking over everything.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:31

Mm.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:31

Tech firms, um, and the inter- uh, interaction between-

Richard BardenGuest

1:36

Yeah.

Richard BardenGuest

1:36

Interoperability or interchangeability-

Elisa BarwickHost

1:38

Yes

Richard BardenGuest

1:38

... as Mr. Marles now calls it, and, uh, and what they call path dependence for all of the war material-

Elisa BarwickHost

1:46

Mm-hmm

Richard BardenGuest

1:46

...

Richard BardenGuest

1:46

the defense, um, the weapons, the weapons systems, the technology, the systems to run them, to target them-

Elisa BarwickHost

1:51

Yeah

Richard BardenGuest

1:51

... it's all controlled by the Americans.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:53

S- so Australia, US, seamless interaction.

Elisa BarwickHost

1:57

Um, and we'll get into that in a bit of depth in a moment.

Elisa BarwickHost

2:00

But I wanted to preface it, um, by saying that more significant than the, uh, announcements on immigration by the leaders of the coalition, um, this week, is... was the, um, pronouncements by the new leader of the Greens, David Shoebridge, and this indicates a real, uh, significant shift point in the...

Elisa BarwickHost

2:25

We talk a lot about the consensus that governs the uni party.

Richard BardenGuest

2:29

Mm.

Elisa BarwickHost

2:29

I mean, everyone talks about the uni party, but the key about that apparatus is what binds it together, what creates it, and we've said a lot about the economic consensus behind the uni party.