Barbs traded over HMAS Cairns patrol boat upgrade
A stoush has erupted over a plan to invest millions upgrading HMAS Cairns.
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A funding row has erupted over a plan to invest millions upgrading HMAS Cairns to accommodate new Offshore Patrol Vessels as claims fly of recycled previous plans and insufficient budgeted funds to make it happen.
On Thursday Federal Labor doubled down on an LNP plan to upgrade HMAS Cairns by committing $240m ahead of the delivery of four Arafura class Offshore Patrol Vessels. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy made the announcement at the Tropical Reef Shipyard in Cairns.
The Cairns-specific investment announced is part of a $3.8b federal spend recently recommended by the Defence Strategic Review.
While Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch claimed Labor had re-announced a 2021 LNP funding commitment worth $155m, Mr Conroy claimed the former government had not budgeted for the improvements.
“I’m not going to say (the LNP) didn’t have plans, but they didn’t fund it,” Mr Conroy said.
“We are putting our money where our mouth is, we are saying where we are getting the money from and cutting other programs to fund it.”
Mr Entsch agreed the HMAS Cairns capability was needed as French and British activity in the Pacific increased but also insisted he announced similar funding in 2021.
“It is just so transparent, what it means is they have committed to do what we were going to do,” he said.
“I announced this funding a few years ago, there is all this money that has been set aside but not spent.
“What there are talking about is bulls**t, it’s not new money.”
Advance Cairns chief executive officer Jacinta Reddan applauded the Labor spend in the Far North expected to create a jobs rush in the next five years but also wanted to know exactly how the cash would be spent.
“We are keen to see details of how these funds will be deployed over the next four years, particularly in relation to capacity of HMAS Cairns to accommodate OPVs and whether Cairns is likely to play host to more vessels,” she said.
“Certainly the recent Defence Strategic Review underpinned the importance of Northern Australia as the nation’s defence posture.
“It is unclear exactly what this means for HMAS Cairns and we look forward to learning more as these plans unfold.”
Late last month it was revealed RAAF Base Scherger near Weipa, under the Defence Strategic Review, would benefit from a $3.8b investment to strengthen Australia’s northern bases.
Cairns is expected to have four Arafura class Offshore Patrol Vessels home ported at HMAS Cairns before 2030.
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Originally published as Barbs traded over HMAS Cairns patrol boat upgrade
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