SENATOR THE HON STEPHEN CONROY
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
LABOR SENATOR FOR VICTORIA
THE HON DAVID FEENEY MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE CENTENARY OF ANZAC
SHADOW MINISTER FOR JUSTICE
MEMBER FOR BATMAN
ADVISORY PANEL CANNOT SAVE SHAM SUBS PROCESS
Today’s announcement by the Abbott Government of an expert advisory panel to oversee its sham Competitive Evaluation Process for Australia’s Future Submarines is too little and too late.
If Tony Abbott was interested in expert advice, he would have sought formal written advice from the Department of Defence before announcing his Competitive Evaluation Process.
But he didn’t.
The only thing Tony Abbott was interested in was saving his own job and justifying his ‘Captain’s Pick’ to build our Future Submarines in Japan.
During Senate Estimates this week, the Australian public finally learned the truth about Tony Abbott’s sham process.
They learned from Defence officials that the Government failed to seek formal written advice from Defence before Tony Abbott announced his process.
They also learned from Defence officials that Tony Abbott’s process was never designed to deliver three competitive contract options.
And they learned from officials that Japan’s involvement is based on politics rather than merit.
This is not just Labor’s opinion – these are the facts according to officials from the Australian Department of Defence.
No amount of oversight or expert advice can save this fundamentally flawed process.
Tony Abbott faces a stark choice: will he break his secret promise to Japanese Prime Minister Abe to build our Future Submarines in Japan, or will he break the Coalition’s promise to the Australian people to build 12 submarines in South Australia.
Unfortunately for South Australia, the evidence is overwhelming that the fix for a Japanese submarine is in.
The Abbott Government’s mismanagement of Australia’s Future Submarine project and its denigration of the Australian shipbuilding industry has resulted in nothing more than uncertainty and job losses.
The uncertainty this Government has created has resulted in 120 jobs lost at ASC to date.
This is on top of the 450 jobs lost at Forgacs in Newcastle and hundreds of jobs at BAE in Williamstown.
Thousands more are at risk.
Labor is committed to building, maintaining and sustaining Australia’s future submarines in Australia.
Only Labor has a credible plan to build the submarines Australia needs to protect our national strategic interests.
It is time for Tony Abbott to join with Labor, torpedo his sham process and live up to the Coalition’s promise to build 12 submarines in South Australia.
NOTE: The “Expert Advisory Panel appointed to oversee Future Submarine Competitive Evaluation Process” Link in the above was added by PacificSentinel for clarity & context.