The Land Forces Expo, already under fire from protesters, won’t get a visit from top Defence guns

Australia’s biggest defence-focused trade fair kicks off Tuesday in Brisbane and it’s already causing quite a stir.

DEFENCE EXPO UNDER FIRE

Australia’s biggest defence-focused trade fair kicks off Tuesday in Brisbane and it’s already causing quite a stir.

Before the doors to the biennial Land Forces Expo even swing open, a motley crew of anti-war protesters have kicked up a fuss outside the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Several of them, holding aloft banners saying “war crimes start here,’’ have sought unsuccessfully to block trucks bringing military gear into the complex over the past few days. They’ve even created a website to coordinate interference.

Covid has also proved to be a frustrating wildcard for organizers of the three-day event, preventing several exhibitors based in Victoria from arriving in the Sunshine State.

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr.

Then there’s Senate estimates in Canberra.

City Beat spies tell us a scheduling bungle means a bunch of top guns (so to speak) at Defence will be no shows because of their obligation to front up to Parliament.

We understand that among those missing in action (again, so to speak) will be Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, and the head of land capability, Major General Simon Stuart.

Even hometown boy, Defence minister Peter Dutton, won’t be schmoozing with contractors down on the main floor amongst the rocket launchers, armoured vehicles, drones and other war-fighting equipment.

The fact these big shots will not be rocking up has a few of the nearly 700 or so exhibitors feeling pretty underwhelmed, especially since Australia expects to splash out a whopping $55 billion on land defence over the decade.

“The industry has invested a lot of money in this,’’ one stakeholder fumed.

“It’s the Army’s big show and it’s disappointing, to say the least, that the top brass isn’t coming to their own party’’.

A spin doctor for the non-profit AMDA Foundation, which runs the show, declined to discuss details of whether certain individuals would be attending or not.

Despite the setbacks, a healthy crowd is still expected.

The last show, held in Adelaide in 2018, attracted record attendance of more than 15,000, with 624 companies from 26 countries showing off their stuff.

Not so many overseas companies this year, however, for obvious reasons.

Noel Whittaker

OVERSEAS APPROVAL

Noel Whittaker is so fed up with the lousy service he got from Telstra he’s just dumped his long-held shares in the telco.

The exasperated Brisbane finance guru tells us he had to make two complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman before the company agreed to refund money improperly charged for NBN service.

Whittaker then got a call from a Telstra operative in Melbourne who told him the money would be transferred to his account as soon as she got “approval from the Philippines’’.

Wait…what?

“Telstra can’t even issue a refund of $145 without asking their bosses in the Philippines. It is extraordinary,’’ Whittaker said Monday.

The trouble began when Whittaker severed his ties to Telstra after more than 15 years and tapped rival Aussie Broadband for his home service.

But that didn’t stop Telstra from sending bills and keeping up the direct monthly debits.

When he rang to complain, Whittaker was directed to use the app, which he said proved to be maddeningly futile. “That was a disaster,’’ he said.