For the sake of the national interest, Joel Fitzgibbon (MM, July 30) and his opposition colleagues should give up their negativity about the future of naval shipbuilding in Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I invite him to work with the government to constructively resolve the mess that Labor has left.
No matter how many times Mr Fitzgibbon attempts to spin his way through history, he will fail.
The facts are clear:
Labor hasn’t commissioned construction of a major naval vessel in an Australian shipyard since the Anzac class frigates in 1989 (delivered on time and on budget by the Howard government).
The Rudd/Gillard/Rudd government’s only decisions on major vessels were to purchase HMAS Choules and two major Customs vessels offshore.
Labor cut $16 billion from Defence – reducing spending as a percentage of GDP to the lowest level since 1938.
Under Labor defence spending as a share of GDP dropped to 1.56 per cent in the 2012-13 Budget – the lowest level since 1938.
In 2012-13 the Labor government’s 10.5 per cent cut to Defence was the largest single cut since the Korean War.
Immediately following its 2009 White Paper, Labor cut or deferred $16 billion from the Defence budget out to 2016-17.
Labor’s decisions led to 119 defence projects being delayed, 43 projects being reduced and eight projects cancelled, risking critical capability gaps.
Under Labor the Australian defence industry shed more than 10 per cent of its workforce because of budget cuts and deferrals, procrastination and lack of opportunity for Australian suppliers.
This Government, on the other hand, is fixing Labor’s defence mess. And we are doing it responsibly.
The next time Mr Fitzgibbon wants to speak about these matters, he should check the facts first.
KEVIN ANDREWS, Minister for Defence