Australian naval ship building

Royal Australian Navy crucial to nation.

Australian naval ship building: Australia has the formula right

Kevin Andrews

Australia’s national security and economy rely on the unencumbered use of the sea. Building warships here will ensure we maintain it.

In Hugh White’s column in The Age on Tuesday, he claims the Government’s plan to invest in appropriately capable maritime forces is a mistake and part of a cynical vote buying exercise. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

His concerns appear to be threefold: that the Government will be building ships here that could be bought much cheaper overseas; that the management of the projects will follow the same course as the troubled Air Warfare Destroyer program; and that spending money on warships is irrelevant to Australia’s key operational priorities. Let me respond to each of these claims, one by one.

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Source: theage.com.au