Nation should defend itself and stop fawning to US
WHAT do we make of Turnbull’s bowing and scraping to Trump in his recent trip to Washington? It was sickening and possibly done through gritted teeth but is sure was humiliating to watch.
It is very clear to me that the government thinks North Korea poses a real threat to Australia – that and the prospect of future clashes over China’s South Sea.
On reflection, Turnbull’s performance also says to me that instead of propping up Adani with a $ 900 million loan, we should be investing that money in our own security ... so we are not so dependent on the whimsy of future presidents like Trump.
Turnbull likely hated being Trump’s lapdog and colluding with his lies but the reality is Australia is way too dependent on the US for our defence.
The loan to Adani and all the ensuing carbon emissions released makes the world a much more dangerous place militarily because climate change will wreak havoc on our neighbours’ economies, as well as to our economy.
Tensions in the area will rise as standards of living inevitably decline when oceans rise, crops fail and giant storms wreck communities.
I am no war monger but it seems a much more strategic move to invest in our own security while at the same time cutting carbon emissions.
Such military expenditure doesn’t have to have an offensive capability. It can be purely defensive. And for that matter why do we keep buying obsolete and malfunctioning military hardware from the US?
Better to spend the $ 900 million in Australia on Australian defence capability than on stranded assets like Adani’s railway folly.
That way, Townsville would benefit from jobs, SA’s steel mills would benefit from production and Australia would not have to go cap in hand constantly to “mad monarchs”. JENNY STIRLING, Naracoorte.