A few patriots still making sense. Former Nats leader John Anderson:
Professor Niall Ferguson, a renowned commentator on global history and politics, felt compelled to tell me in Australia recently: “I’m stunned by the lack of awareness of the strategic vulnerability of Australia, when everything should be screaming to you – prepare.”
…Despite the commendable improvement in this area since the disastrous Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era when defence atrophied, more is needed. After World War Two, Australia had no great regional enemy, and a powerful new ally. Now Australia faces a regional superpower which, if not an enemy, cannot easily be called a like-minded friend.
…Australia needs to make national security an economic and bipartisan political priority. Control of the near oceans and our approaches is clearly of the greatest importance to our island nation. Our forebears understood this. For the sake of our children we should be worthy heirs. Furthermore, we need to step up lest Australia’s lobbying of the US to remain a close ally appears little less than freeloading. Why would the US feel compelled to take our security seriously, if we don’t do so ourselves?
Too right. And Malcolm Turnbull:
Malcolm Turnbull has blasted Australia’s closest security allies – including the US – for failing to develop their own 5G networks, a situation the former prime minister said was “frankly absurd”.
…In his speech Mr Turnbull focussed on his government’s world-first decision to formally block Huawei from Australia’s 5G rollout on national security grounds.
Mr Turnbull said it was a colossal failure that only four companies supply 5G equipment and services, two from China and two from Scandinavia.
But no, let’s all sing kumbaya, says Bill Shorten:
“We won’t view China just through the strategic prism of worst case scenario,” he said.
“We’ve got to view China as more than just a threat. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to take advice from security agencies and understand our ongoing commitment to the Five Eyes [security alliance with the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand], but we can’t just deal with countries from a position of fear.
“I just think deepen the ties. So when I have my disagreements with them, ideally they will hear from me first rather than through the media or the megaphone.”
But we can deal with countries from a position of strength.
