There are few among us who could consider themselves even within shouting distance of the knowledge of Australia’s defence policy background that John Menadue embodies – and I certainly am not among those.
However, even a far lower-tier observer such as I could find great resonance with John’s comment that: “We would also get better value for our defence dollars if Anthony Albanese could find a pretext to shift Richard Marles to a new job that matched his abilities.”
As a probable win-win solution to this enigma, I believe that we could do well — particularly in the circumstances of a Trump-imposed punishing tariff — if Marles were shifted to the (for far too long overlooked) representation at ministerial level of Macquarie Island.
It’s a big ask, but Marles is, in my opinion, up to it.