New platitudes for Defence

Rent-seeking IS the goal:

DAVID JOHNSTON: The submarine fleet we have committed to within 18 months are setting out a full and complete proper funded plan to provide new submarines.

Why?

Now we've already said we want to build the submarines in the 2009 White Paper in South Australia. We're committed to that.

Again; why? And for what goal that is valuable to the nation's defence?

Stating one is "committed" to the 2009 Defence White Paper is more a sign of mental illness than practical thinking.

But the fact is we have to firstly repair Collins. So we want to get on and get a plan to get Collins Class submarines there are six of them, back and functional and giving us some value for the $1 billion we're spending on them every year.

One is parted out. You might get 5. But again, for what?

Better to park and kill them now. As is, they provide little value for the defence of the nation.

History...

DAVID JOHNSTON: And let me tell you why. There has been in all of these discussions, just this last year some money given to the, to the people who are planning the submarine. There has been no operational concept document. I find that and the commentators who know, I find that really surprising that we've done something with this submarine for the last four years with no operational concept document.

Well first of all we've got to get that right, so we've got to know what we want the submarine to actually do. Once we've got that right we know what sort of submarine we'll need. And I just think the whole thing has been smoke and mirrors, a confidence trick, a bit of a fraud on the public, an electoral splash, and now we've got to fix it up because nothing this Government, or this Minister says is believable in this space.

Yes, it is quite amazing how reliable the Collins was during the Howard years. "Smoke and mirrors", "fraud on the public", "confidence trick" describe the waste that is the submarine dream.

Very, very well.

No matter what party is in charge.

We are about minimising the tax payer's risk, not about maximising the electoral splash. Now the fact in all of this is that this is one of the biggest projects that the Commonwealth will ever undertake.

Twelve new submarines is a massive project. We want to get it right. Everything this Government has done to this point has been a mistake or been incompetent or been overpriced and a waste of tax payers funds.

Well, Mr. J, unless you are willing to take an axe to the DMO, big time, your rent-seeking love for the Collins and its' replacement will fail.

But again, with so many other things to fix in Defence, subs don't even come in at number 10 on the list.

So folks, there are your "priorities" in Defence for the next government. All those statements, are incompatible with the in-the-red federal budget situation.

Verdict: Defence will continue to be seen as a way to launder tax-payer money for profiteers and their political friends. Not unlike some other federal budget portfolios.