Former DM--Defence chiefs obsessed with running interference for troubled F-35 program

Fitzgibbon has an audio up (along with an article) at the Sydney Morning Herald where he claims the following:

-He was not going to sign off on the F-35 until he had more knowledge of cost.
-Claims to know classified capability of the F-35 and states there is the possibility the aircraft may come through the trouble some day. Note: The "it's classified" meme, doesn't allow the system to ignore current engineering troubles.
-Claims Howard put us in a bind. I agree. I would say the triple-H. Howard, Hill and Houston got Australia involved in the F-35 based on thin-to-no credible analysis.
-Claims the flag-ranks were against him. Including Fitzgibbon wanting the Growler capability for the Super Hornet, where the flags feared it would take away from the F-35.
-MP Frydenburg uses the bad percent-of-GDP meme re: Defence spending. Fails to mention insurgent DMO.

And:

Former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon has slammed the defence force chiefs he once worked with as "obsessed" with the troubled Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and accused them of running "interference" to protect it.