...I wholeheartedly agree and don't let the Skynews and Trumptards talk us into a war with China, a conflict we know we cannot win and bound to result in massive casualty on our side.
...What good is a submarine that is not ready until 15 years time with the first not even equipped with an appropriate missile system.
....$300+B is a lot of money to buy security from the US, but it also draws Australia into a conflict should there be one between the super powers. Why can't we just be like the Kiwis, be neutral and stay out of it. While we spend big to ensure security, it is money spent that in the short time must deny needy Australians the resource they need to survive while in the longer run, can only result in more lives lost if we ever need to deploy those subs.
....you can only imagine that with this big money spent, there would likely be more new taxes or spending cut. It is not a free lunch. We have to pay for it, somehow. The next generation will have to pay for it, because we want to pull our own weight in global politics. China will takeover Taiwan at some point, but seriously do we contemplate going to war with China over it? People may entertain the idea until there is a compulsory conscript of our sons (and grandsons) to the front lines!
...fact is Murdoch press and even the likes of Age now is raising the rhetoric to sell what seems to be gaining popularity (more newspapers sold, higher ratings). That's what matters to them. Rupert himself does not even live in Australia.
China poses no threat to US or Australia, says KeatingGus McCubbing
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating says China has no plans to attack the United States or Australia after savaging the
AUKUS submarine deal.
“China doesn’t threaten the United States – nobody threatens the United States. It has the greatest armaments in history – there’s no way they would ever consider attacking the United States,” Keating told ABC journalist Laura Tingle during his National Press Club address.
“China is locked into a bowl – they don’t go into anywhere. They’re not attacking anyone. All they’ve done is militarise those shoals, which is about restricting the US having a presence in their periphery.
“China’s interests are not in the east. They want to keep the front doormat clean. They’re really interested in the west – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.”
Keating believes the “majority” of Labor branch members would support his view that the
AUKUS submarine deal is responding to a threat that isn’t real.
“I’d say the majority of Labor people would share my views. When they work out we have returned to the British 230 years later … when the average Labor Party branch member gets onto this, I think there’ll be a big reaction,” Keating told the National Press Club.
“There’s no mandate for them to do this.”
Keating, speaking to ABC’s Laura Tingle at the National Press Club, says Australia is responding to a threat that isn’t real by moving to acquire nuclear submarines through its
AUKUS deal.
Keating said China would require an “armada” of ships to travel for 13 days to invade Australia, before attacking media coverage that suggested war with China was possible within three years.
“Chinese has not threatened us and despite five years of the China threat in the Sydney Morning Herald, it’s all been untrue,” he said.
“China is a lonely state. They would fall over themselves to have a proper relationship with us. They are 12 flying hours from us. (But) we’ve manufactured a problem.
“One of the critical problems is that defence has overtaken foreign policy. As a consequence, we’re not using diplomacy.”
