Page 114 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

114 DEFENCE BUSINESS VIEW FROM CANBERRA
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
VIEW FROM
CANBERRA
Parliamentary committees perform exemplary work, examining complex topics, hearing a wide variety of evidence, working harmoniously and reporting in a dispassionate bipartisan manner to inform government decision-making.
A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT | CANBERRA
BUT not always. Sometime the conclusions are just as likely to be completely ignored.
Here’s the Senate Economics References Committee in its examination of Australia’s sovereign naval shipbuilding capability and the acquisition of future submarines.
“A shambles – we don't think, we know.” And that’s just the title.
“Thirteen years after identifying the need for an expanded fleet of 12 submarines and almost six years after a flawed Com- petitive Evaluation Process and announcement of the agree- ment with Naval Group to provide those submarines, there is not a single new boat in the water and now not even a contract to produce the necessary new submarines,” it thunders.
“Moreover, almost six years have been wasted and $2.4 billion taxpayer dollars squandered on boats that will now never be delivered.”
First point – this is a Labor-dominated committee. Oth- er (legislation) committees are controlled by government members.
Committee membership comprises eight Labor, four Coali- tion and one independent – former submariner Rex Patrick.
So, the government view isn’t going to gain much traction, though the minority can make their views known, often in con- siderable detail, towards the back of every committee report.
Second point – this is an election year and Labor is getting in what kicks it can. A federal election must be held soon, with 21 May the last possible date. With the required 33 days’ notice, the options are diminishing. No doubt the government would want to shout its economic credentials at the Federal Budget (March 29) then go speedily into election mode.
That points to a May election, albeit with a campaign straddling Easter and Anzac Day and various state school holidays.
But back to the Economics References Committee and its denunciation of the submarine program which began in Sep- tember 2019 to examine sovereign naval shipbuilding. There have been extensions, the latest taking it through to June, though it will certainly lapse with the calling of the election.
Along the way, there have been two interim reports, along
the way expressing displeasure at Defence’s reluctance to provide all information requested – and even providing mis- leading information.
On September 16, part way through committee delibera- tions, came the AUKUS announcement – the Attack-class would be cancelled, the deal with Naval Group binned and Australia would get nuclear submarines.
The committee called this an extraordinary development (which it surely was) raising questions on costs, schedules, capability, sustainment and logistics – all yet to be answered.
Fair enough. Considering the profound change in direc- tion, it’s more likely the government itself doesn’t know most of this. Hopefully Defence’s own inquiry into acquiring nukes will provide answers.
However we do it, the first nuclear submarine won’t be sighted until at least the late 2030s, raising concerns about how the ageing Collins boats will fare and whether there will be a capability gap.
Then there’s all those companies which signed on with Naval Group, anticipating decades of steady work.
“The entire nuclear submarine proposal seems to have been concocted with little thought for the practical realities of making it happen,” said the (Labor) report.
Unsurprisingly, the committee’s coalition members took a different view, but didn’t have a great deal to add, beyond pointing out that Labor in government from 2007-2013 did not commission the build of one naval vessel in an Austra- lian yard.
Then there was Senator Patrick who recommended the government immediately set about constructing at least six military off-the-shelf conventional submarines in Adelaide.
This, he said, would provide jobs for workers idle from the cancelled submarine and delayed future frigate pro- grams and provide an interim capability while waiting for the nukes. ■
ABOVE: One of the options for Australia’s next submarine is the US Navy’s Virginia-class attack boat
US NAVY