It’s time to face it. Australia has been sold a complete dud in AUKUS.
The Australian taxpayer ( the purchaser) has been kept in the dark from the very get go about this incredibly expensive military investment designed primarily to aid American foreign policy goals,and feed the military industrial base and economy on Australia’s dime.
There has been so much secrecy, so much flam flam and spin and outright lies and misdirects Labor can hardly be surprised that Australian taxpayers, who are now under the pump financially, are now asking really hard questions about AUKUS. Especially when Mr Marles pops up and says we’re actually not getting what we apparently agreed to pay for somewhere along the line Australia is getting another, dare I say better?, deal. Two of the subs will be used subs now. Who in their right mind walks into a shop signs on the dotted line and starts paying for used goods and walks away thinking they are on a winner?
Now, time has moved on and the initial purchase has fundamentally changed and we find ourselves having to accept used subs with no real expectation of delivery. Let’s just walk away while we still can.