Here I am, again, moaning. There’s so much to whinge about lately … (IMHO)
In all the ‘News’ about Corona Virus, appalling armed forces' behaviour, inexcusable ‘Robodebt’ cruelty and lack of dealing with Climate Change, there’s one other matter about which I am steaming with rage.
I’m complaining about the $80 billion Australia has committed to spend on submarines… soon to be redundant submarines, by the way.
However, the PM claims that they are important for “Australia’s strategic environment”. Hmmm.
The $$$$$$ to be spent on those mythical national security required (?) submerged warships is an abhorrence to me. It is a HUGE amount: an amount (if we genuinely had it) hat could remedy many, if not ALL, of our country’s ills.
Have a think about how current wars are conducted and you will probably notice that submarines play an infinitesimal - or no part at all.
Now it’s all guided missiles and other evil stuff. (Remember WMD?) Weapons that do not require sailors spending weeks underwater in a submarine, chasing, while hiding, from ‘enemies.
And did I mention that the $80 billion submarines were already redundant? Sorry, yes, I did.
They are so out of date that parts of them are suspected of not being able to work as intended anymore – and this is before they have even been built!
And, by the way, technology has progressed so far that submarines will soon not be able to stay undetected under water. What that means is that they are useless as a deterrent or a protection.
Let me say that word again: useless.
Anyway, back to the $80 billion.
That’s $80 BILLION, by the way. Yes, eighty BILLION dollars, not million.
Gee, I wonder what Australia could do with $80 BILLION?
Let’s see…Right now, in Victoria alone, there is a sixteen-year waiting list for public housing. (Thankfully, Victoria is aiming to fix that a little). But you could still be dead waiting to have a roof over your head if you find yourself in dire circumstances.
I’m not good at maths, but even I could manage to work out that even one billion dollars could probably build more than 2 000, that’s two THOUSAND, (genuinely nice) homes. Wouldn’t that be nice? Imagine what TWO billion could build. THREE billion?
THEN…How about that not-very-efficient NDIS, set up to help disabled people? It’s not going very well from all reports, but…but, say it was given a boost of a billion dollars – maybe that would help? How about TWO billion? Immensely helpful.
Maybe if nurses and public health doctors – and the hospitals they work in – were given a multi-billion-dollar boost to maintain the health of our nation, including the ever-needy mental health departments. Just imagine!
I could go on…and on….and on….
In case you’d like to know more, here are some facts:
Defence officials knew Australia's new fleet of attack submarines would cost almost $80 billion as early as 2015, despite publicly stating at the time the estimated price tag was $50 billion. (SMH), (This is for 12 subs…)
BUT,
More like $225 billion to maintain – some claimed in 2019)
BTW, Construction of these things has yet to be begin…
“Construction of the first Future Submarine was expected to commence in 2022–23 and is scheduled to enter service around 2032–33”
So, we will be waiting at least another 12 years before they are even in the water. A lot can happen in those 12 years.
But wait…a few weeks ago, it was announced that “construction of the submarines was scheduled to begin in 2024”. In FOUR years’ time?
So, they are now a further two years behind schedule.
AND then there’s this…. “The SEA 1000 submarines are predicted to remain in service until the 2070s.”
The 2070s??????
I doubt if any nation will be using – needing – subs in 50 years’ time, even if we haven’t already obliterated the entire Earth, with the effects of Climate Change.
So…can anyone please tell me what wisdom there is in spending EIGHTY BILLION DOLLARS on such a folly?
IS THERE ANY HOPE OF STOPPING THIS?
I apologise for not remembering where this quote (below) originated, but it is very telling:
“It is hard to believe that a government genuinely committed to defending the nation would sign a contract to buy 12 ludicrously expensive submarines that would not be operational for at least 20 years, with the final submarine not ready for nearly 40 years. The fleet will be obsolete before its delivered.”
