November 20, 2017

Australia's military has long grappled with massive waste and overspending as well as projects running years late or never completed.

Now, a former brigadier in the Australian Defence Force who became a Liberal MP three years ago, Ms Linda Reynolds, is pushing for a novel solution.

She wants Australia to adopt a bipartisan approach to defence, in which the major parties would agree on long-term spending as well as hardware and weapons acquisitions. This could include, for instance, reaching bipartisan agreement on such projects as Australia's A$89 billion (S$91.4 billion) naval build-up, which includes buying and building 12 submarines, nine frigates, and 12 offshore patrol vessels. Such agreements would no longer be subject to Australia's three-yearly federal election cycle.

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http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/australia-looks-at-bipartisan-approach-to-defence