We waited…andwaited…and waited.
300 days—we waited—forthe Albanese government to respond to the Surface Fleet Review.
What did we learn this week?
That under Labor’ssurface fleet plan, we won’t have a new Royal Australian Navy frigate in thewater until the next decade.
That’s right, you read that correctly: no new frigates until 2031.
This is after Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles have told us repeatedly that we face the most dangerous times since the end of the Second World War.
Given that warning,you’d expect them to move quickly to build our navy.
But there is no serious money in the near future.
$1.7 billion over the forward estimates and $11.1 billion over the next decade.
Labor is not seriousabout national security.
Labor is weak, unfocused and naive.
We need strength,vision and guile.
The time for wordplay is long past.
We need action anddelivery.
The question is: what can we fix by 2026?
Under Labor, you will get weakness.
Under a Liberalgovernment, you will get strength.
The choice is clear.
Regards
Andrew Hastie
www.andrewhastie.com.au
