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Australia must now turn its submarines disaster into triumph to protect the nation [1]

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Date: 2022-07-12

Cartoon by Mark David, Independent Australia

It would be a bold move only a courageous government could accomplish. Australia has the chance now to reimagine its status as a global naval manufacturer and exporter. The challenge is to build a smaller, faster, stealthier, stronger submarine than its rivals, which requires fewer crew and is cheaper to build and operate.

This can be achieved with a scaled-down version of one of the best submarines ever designed – the Collins class. Where was this built? In South Australia in the 1990s.

This “daughter-of-Collins”, as former Prime Minister Paul Keating dubbed it, offers multiple gains. It will replace the current ageing Collins class more quickly than other options, it will give Australia’s navy boats fit for purpose, it will generate export income and build a springboard for expansion into other high-tech manufacturing. Win win win win.

Recent history

Australia’s conservative Coalition Government contracted to buy twelve Barracuda class nuclear attack submarines from France in 2015. The Government welched on that deal in 2021, costing Australia its international reputation as an honourable trading partner, compromising Australia’s medium term security, and losing taxpayers around five billion borrowed dollars with nothing to show for it.

Prime Minister Morrison then announced Australia had formed a pact with the United Kingdom and the USA – known as AUKUS – to build nuclear submarines.

The Morrison Government’s defeat in May allows the incoming reformist Labor Government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to change direction once again.

Assessing Australia’s needs

The new Aussie sub should be around 60 metres, diesel-electric, speed 30 knots and operable with a crew of four officers and 25 sailors. This is based on the following needs:

* Defence spending. Given regional stability, Australia can ensure its defence with smarter decisions, more advanced technology, better collaboration and much lower expenditure.

* Australia’s immediate neighbours are Papua New Guinea, East Timor, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Nuclear submarines are not needed to patrol these waters, and cannot access New Zealand ports under laws unlikely to change.

* The concept that Australia, population 26 million, could deploy nuclear attack class vessels in the South China Sea or beyond to engage militarily with China, population 1,439 million, is ludicrous. This seems to be the underpinning of the previous Government’s failed endeavours.

* The risk of China attacking Taiwan is minimal. Even if it does, Australia has no treaties with Taiwan, and will not be involved. (Australia’s treaties with the USA do not require support for US attacks on other countries.)

* The risk of buying American nuclear submarines is that they will be operated and controlled by Americans and effectively just add to the US fleet.

Australia can do this

ASC, the government-owned shipbuilders based in Osborne, South Australia, built the Collins vessels and has continual experience maintaining them. It has also successfully delivered three Hobart class destroyers and other vessels.

*

So what should we call this new class of submarines built Downunder? One option is to honour the last of the Coalition defence ministers – whose incompetence has inadvertently gifted the new Government with this shot at greatness. So why not the Boofhead class? Or in honour of Paul Keating, who remains an inspirational visionary in this area, maybe the Scumbag class?

Perhaps, to recognise the recent historic change of government, the Toto class? Or if the incoming Government succeeds with this ambitious project, as it should, then why not simply – the Albo class?

*

This is an abbreviated version of an article published yesterday in Independent Australia. The original article is available here in full for free:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/labor-must-reverse-morrisons-submarine-bungle-to-serve-nation,16546

*

“Alan Austin is a great Australian journalist and,

I think, a pirate. I steal Alan Austin’s findings all the time.”

~ Jordan Shanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtV-2X4BjQI

*

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