2 years ago
MORRISON GOVERNMENT PLAYS POLITICS WITH SUBS
BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP
If reports are accurate it’s a case of too little too late, as the Morrison Government scrambles to find a quick fix to the ongoing problems with the $89 billion Future Submarines program before the election.
The relationship between Naval Group and the Morrison Government is already struggling, but it seems it has reached a new low, with staff on the project being told they are now subject to a “political timeline” of having issues resolved by September for a contract to be signed - coinciding with the lead up to the Federal election.
Claims that the submarines may need to be built in France to be delivered on time are in flagrant contradiction of the Morrison Government’s promised Australian industry content.
In light of this, the Government needs to explain whether the submarines will be built in Australia or in France.
We know there is a yawning gap In the Morrison Government’s talk and action on defence. They are all rhetoric no delivery.
If the Government hadn’t mismanaged the Future Submarines from the very beginning they wouldn’t need to be backtracking to save the program which is 10 years late, and $40 billion over budget.
The Morrison Government should have had a proper tender process and ensured the contract had enforceable local industry content from the start, but instead rushed for a headline with no plan to follow through at the 2016 election.
This stands in stark contract to Labor’s announced policy to have transparent, publicly audited, mandatory local requirements on all defence projects.
Labor wants to see the Future Submarines project delivered on time, on budget, with an enforceable amount of Australian local industry content.
The relationship between Naval Group and the Morrison Government is already struggling, but it seems it has reached a new low, with staff on the project being told they are now subject to a “political timeline” of having issues resolved by September for a contract to be signed - coinciding with the lead up to the Federal election.
Claims that the submarines may need to be built in France to be delivered on time are in flagrant contradiction of the Morrison Government’s promised Australian industry content.
In light of this, the Government needs to explain whether the submarines will be built in Australia or in France.
We know there is a yawning gap In the Morrison Government’s talk and action on defence. They are all rhetoric no delivery.
If the Government hadn’t mismanaged the Future Submarines from the very beginning they wouldn’t need to be backtracking to save the program which is 10 years late, and $40 billion over budget.
The Morrison Government should have had a proper tender process and ensured the contract had enforceable local industry content from the start, but instead rushed for a headline with no plan to follow through at the 2016 election.
This stands in stark contract to Labor’s announced policy to have transparent, publicly audited, mandatory local requirements on all defence projects.
Labor wants to see the Future Submarines project delivered on time, on budget, with an enforceable amount of Australian local industry content.