Login
iscover
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has defended the alleged $4 billion price tag of each future Hunter Class frigate.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The Minister for Defence, speaking during a press conference at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory, declared the ships as the “heart of Australia’s surface combatant fleet” and “quietest frigate in the world”.
“The Hunter Class frigates are going to be as capable a frigate as exists in the world today. Hunter Class frigates will be the quietest frigate that exists in the world today. And we are very excited about what Hunter will add to our surface fleet,” he said during the press conference
“It will really be at the heart of our surface combatant fleet. Given, in a sense, what this announcement today is about is an acknowledgement of the vastness of our ocean approaches, of the areas that we need to surveil, of the task at hand for our Defence Force, in terms of surveilling and going after the assets of any adversary at sea, Hunter is right at the forefront of that as well. So, we are really looking forward to Hunter.
“And Hunter has had its issues, but it is very much back on track. And we are looking forward to the implementation of Hunter into our surface fleet.”
Earlier this week, Greens spokesperson for Defence Senator David Shoebridge said the incoming Hunter Class frigates, at $4 billion each, would be one of the most expensive ships ever built.
“The Hunter frigate program is turning into a black hole for the Labor government to pour billions of dollars into,” he said.
“The Albanese Labor government has now had multiple opportunities to course correct but they have doubled down on failure.
“If we look at countries like South Korea, they are manufacturing bigger and better-equipped ships for a fraction of the price.
“This is not about investing in defence, it’s about rewarding failure by politicians who repeatedly prove themselves incapable of holding Defence to account.
“The Greens referred this program to the NACC because it showed clear signs of corruption, but this whole program also shows a complete disregard for the public interest, value for money and what is in the best interests of the defence of Australia.
“Over the next decade, the Albanese government has planned for nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars to be spent on Defence. If that spending looks like the Hunter frigates program, we will blow endless billions of dollars and end the decade far less safe.”
A public statement from the Greens alleges that the federal government had handed over a further $11 billion to build the steel hulls for three Hunter Class frigates.
The initial $2.25 billion contract was for just the design and “productisation” of the Hunter Class frigate; however, it was amended without tender this month and jumped to nearly $15 billion. It is understood that the additional $11 billion provided by the government is just for the hulls of three ships, not including any weapons, radar or other essential equipment, according to the Greens.
