The federal Defence Department has refused to back Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s assertion that the Japanese Soryu submarine is “the best in the world”.
The PM made the claim in February, telling parliament that discussions over the multi-billion dollar Future Submarines contract “have been more detailed with the Japanese, because the Japanese make the best large conventional submarine in the world”.
But written answers from Defence to questions put on notice by Senator Nick Xenophon from an Estimates hearing are considerably less effusive.
Analysis? This government has not done its homework. It has not been honest with the public (pre-election campaign promise). It does not understand the risks associated with going with the Japanese design.
Also, if the current leadership wants to go for a special, non-off-the-shelf sub design....without building it here, it is not worth supporting. A big part of building it here is to understand how to sustain it.
If it can't be built here, we can get an off-the-shelf German sub and have some submarine capability for much less.
Yet, I do want them built here.
Every kind of delay must be put in the way of the Abbott submarine plan. They don't know what they are doing. The next party in power will have to save this.
That is how desperate the situation is.
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