Bill Shorten has no shame – during the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd debacle the government gutted the Defence budget in a vain attempt to balance Swan’s budget. The budget didn’t balance and Defence aquisition programmes were put back years.
Now he has the temerity to attack Abbott over the fact that a Japanese sub is one of many being considered to replace the Collins class fleet. His populist statements at Adelaide yesterday reflect his fighting for the unions, including the criminal based CFMEU, that were involved in the Collins class subs and has nothing to do with the defence of the country.
One union idiot shouted “
Last time we had Jap subs, they were in bloody Sydney Harbour” referring to
the midget submarine attack in 1942. I hasten to add that neither Shorten, nor his audience were even born then. It was another century and another Japan. Today’s Japan is a major defence and trade partner who, with the US and Australia, constitute the main Pacific area defence pact.
Shorten goes onto say; “This is a government with a short memory,” he said. “In the Second World War, 366 merchant ships were sunk off Australia.”
Short memory! From
Wikipedia;
The 28 Japanese and German submarines that operated in Australian waters between 1942 and 1945 sank a total of 30 ships with a combined tonnage of 151,000 long tons (153,000 t); 654 people, including 200 Australian merchant seamen, were killed on board the ships attacked by submarines.
Even when he gives a speech he can’t get it right. There were 18 more ships sunk but they were as a result of surface raiders, both German and Japanese, but I presumed Shortens populist spray was directed at the Japanese only.
German….hmmn. Their submarines are also in the mix for selection. The cost of 12 German
submarines would cost us $20 billion, The Japanese
Soryu Class submarine would come at a similar cost while should Australia go Shorten’s way it would cost us $50 billion.
$30 billion cheaper – you would have to consider it and think what you could do with that money. Maybe it could go to paying off some of the debt Shorten’s mob have left us.
Due to the fact that the ALP killed Defence planning with their budget cuts we have a potential problem of having gap with no submarines at all. For this reason, and considering costs, something the ALP never did, the Japanese solution looks like a winner.
Quicker and cheaper potentially eliminating the no-submarine gap.
The decision is due later this year and I’m sure that a lot of the work will be done in Australia if the project goes ahead but from my point of view, the less union involvement the better.
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Not to forget Japan was an ally in WWI and provided the armed escort for a convoy sailing from WA for the ME.
Not too long ago a major oil company announced that it intended to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight, as it was now technologically possible to do so and if successful, could turn Australia into a major oil supplier.
Initially I was delighted, but on reflection decided there was little to be delighted about. Without doubt, Shorten’s bruvvers would strangle the operation while causing the maximum amount of unpleasantness.
I would not support any major project in which our treacherous unions are involved. The more so, if our welfare and safety depended on it.
I love the hypocritical racism of the left. beware the slanty eyed yellow peril when they think it will benefit them and I’ll guarantee within 6 months Shorten will accuse Abbott of racism on some subject.
We’ve bought Panzers from the Hun in the past, our current service rifle was designed in Austria (where Hitler was born!), we’ve got Spanish warships (Franco was a Fascist!), Indonesia are making some of our service boots (damned ex Commies) and that pathetic little halfwit Shorten wants to rule out the best conventional subs in the world based on race of the makers, all so we can stuff up a second generation of Collins boat at twice the price.
I get that the ALP believe that defence procurement is just another trough to get the snouts into, but some poor bastards might well have to go to war in them. buy the best or buy the best value. either way it’s not made in Aust.
Further to the opportunistic stupidity of Shorten pushing to build the boats here at (minimum) twice the cost, whilst I acknowledge that submarines are an important strategic asset, it is worth noting that Australian submarines literally have not fired a torpedo in anger in a century. on that basis it is a bit hard to suggest taking $20 billion plus extra from the defence procurement budget, almost certainly leaving the army (who do get called on to go to war quite often) short on funding for equipment.
I’m not suggesting that we don’t buy submarines, but we want to be getting the best possible deal we can get on them.