Pine Gap, AUKUS & Breaking Australia's Ties to the US Alliance – Close Pine Gap Convergence 2026

What does Pine Gap actually do? Why is the US moving its front line to Australia? And what would it take to get out? Nuclear test survivors, a senator and a human rights lawyer connect the British nuclear tests, rocket testing on Googatha Country, nuclear waste dumps, AUKUS, Pillar 2, the weapons industry revolving door, native title, and Australia's complicity in Gaza — and lay out what can be done, from the AUKUS Public Inquiry to the Red Lines Package. Recorded live on the unceded lands of the Arrernte people, at the 'Close Pine Gap, Sacred Land Back' Convergence, Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Arrernte Country, 19 July 2026. SPEAKERS: 🎤 Karina Lester — Yankunytjatjara woman, APY Lands; second-generation nuclear test survivor; ICAN Australia ambassador; Commissioner, Public Inquiry into AUKUS. 🎤 Aunty Sue Haseldine — Googatha elder, Ceduna; nuclear test survivor; President, Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA). 🎤 Senator David Shoebridge — Australian Greens Senator for NSW; spokesperson for justice, defence and digital rights. 🎤 Rita Jabri Markwell — human rights and public interest litigation lawyer; lead drafter, Red Lines Package. 🎤 Facilitated by Jesse Boylan — International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). TAKE ACTION: 👉 Make a submission to the AUKUS Public Inquiry — submissions close 1 September 2026: https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/ 👉 The Red Lines Package — four bills going to parliament in September 2026: https://www.redlinespackage.com.au/ 👉 Sign the Arrernte traditional custodians' Senate petition to close Pine Gap and for compensation 👉 Petition against Southern Launch on Googatha Country CHAPTERS: 0:00 Welcome to Arrernte Country 6:50 Karina Lester — a generational fight since Totem 1 12:42 Aunty Sue Haseldine — Koonibba, Maralinga and ANFA 16:27 David Shoebridge — from nature to the anti-war movement 19:52 Rita Jabri Markwell — Stolen Generations, Lebanon, Palestine 24:13 What Pine Gap does 30:28 Why here? Australia as sacrifice zone 35:06 Rocket testing on Googatha Country 40:44 Waste dumps, royal commissions and secrecy 49:03 Five Eyes, Senate estimates and Gaza 54:42 AUKUS, submarines and the road to war with China 58:32 Pillar 2 and the weapons industry 1:01:03 The Red Lines Package 1:07:57 What can be done 1:16:15 Questions from the floor 1:30:57 Native title and land rights 1:40:02 Closing: staying grounded #PineGap #ClosePineGap #AUKUS #FirstNations #NuclearFree #FreePalestine #Mparntwe