Australian Strategic Policy Institute News

WA weather records play big role in climate jigsaw puzzle

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Tony Press says rainfall in WA is linked to weather patterns and snowfall in Antarctica. Australia is well placed to play a central role in research on global climate and climate change through its efforts in Antarctica. In order to do this it is crucial that Australia continues to adequately fund and support its Antarctic efforts - a point made strongly by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in its report Frozen assets: Securing Australia's Antarctic future.

Surprise peace talks over Fiji ties

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith met with Fiji's interim Foreign Minister to discuss restoring diplomatic relations. NZ's Foreign Minister also attended the meeting. ASPI said [in a recent report] a policy rethink on Fiji was in order.

Call for ban on Sea Shepherd ships

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Australian Government should ban the Sea Shepherd's anti-whaling vessels from docking on its shores, according to Anthony Bergin. He said government attempts at being even-handed, by criticising the whalers and the Sea Shepherd, meant it endorsed the militant tactics of the anti-whaling group.

New Zealand, Australia meet with Fiji's foreign minister

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Talks between Fiji, New Zealand and Australia yesterday focussed on finding a way to keep diplomatic missions running in each country without being disrupted by every spat that broke out between the nations.

Australia's b...

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Australia's biggest defence purchase, the F35 Joint Strike Fighter, is facing more disruption with the sacking of the US General in charge of the program. The federal government says it has built in buffers to cover production delays but it is unclear how long it will take to replace Australia's fleet of FA18 Hornets. Andrew Davies, ASPI, says US defence programs typically run about 50% over budget and 30% to 40% over schedule. He says critics in the US have spoken about entering production before flight tests have finished.

Interviewees: Andrew Davies, Austn Strategic Policy Institute; Robert Gates, US Defence Secretary; Senator George Lemieux, Armed Services Committee; Senator John McCain, Armed Services Committee.

Prime Minister Kevin...

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has confirmed Defence Minister John Faulkner blocked three shipments to Iran because of fears they could be used to build nuclear weapons. Dr Carl Ungerer from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute declines to comment on what may have been in the shipments, saying that Iran has made numerous attempts to acquire technology for use in its nuclear program.

More turbulence in fighter jet program

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

THE troubled Joint Strike Fighter project - upon which Australia is relying for its next generation of attack aircraft - has struck further chaos, with the US government sacking the general in charge and withholding hundreds of million of dollars in payments from the project's prime contractor. Andrew Davies, ASPI, said that delays and JSF cost blow-outs were eroding the contingency in Defence's budget and schedule and raising the level of risk.

Joint Strike Fighter project faces more delays

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

THE troubled Joint Strike Fighter project - upon which Australia is relying for its next generation of attack aircraft - has struck further chaos. Andrew Davies, ASPI, said that delays and JSF cost blow-outs were eroding the contingency in Defence's budget and schedule and raising the level of risk.

Respect marks success

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Bellevue Hill resident Mark Johnson has been appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia. He was recognised for his work in a number of fields and organisations including Chairman of ASPI.

Smith to meet Fiji foreign minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith is holding a private meeting with Fiji's Foreign Minister, along with NZ's Foreign Minister. A study released last week by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said the current hardline approach had produced an impasse with no suggestion that Fiji was about to back down.

Tony Jones says t...

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Tony Jones says the biggest Defence purchase, the F35 Joint Strike Fighter was again facing more disruption with the sacking of the US general in charge of the program and a budget shake up. The Fed Govt says it has built in buffers to cover production delays.

Interviewees: Senator George LeMieux, Armed Services Committee; Senator John McCain, Armed Services Committee ; Robert Gates, US Defence Secretary; Andrew Davies, Defence Procurement Expert , Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Statement by John Faulkner, Australian Defence Minister.

Financial services execs gain Aus day honours

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Mentions executives that received Australia Day honours, including Mark Johnson, former Chairman of ASPI

Fleet floats off course

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Mike O'Connor on why the Royal Australian Navy and the contractors that supply it have such an appalling record in delivering naval vessels that go anywhere near performing the tasks required of them to defend our island continent. In relation to Collins submarines he says 'According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, some of them only received fully functioning combat systems last year.'

Chinese explorers have an eye for our frozen assets

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin on China's interest in the Antarctic. He says we need to make informed judgments on Antarctic resource exploitation issues and on ways to manage any interest that may emerge should the mining ban ever be relaxed to protect Australia's interests.

Chinese explorers have an eye for our frozen assets

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

NSW maritime plan threatens SA's 'defence state' title

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

NSW plans to establish a maritime hub. Andrew Davies says NSW has recognised that maintenance and through-life support can provide jobs and income.

Australia is bein...

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Australia is being urged to reengage with Fiji to end a 'futile impasse' in a paper released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The author, Professor Richard Herr, is interviewed by Peggy Giakoumelos in the morning and Greg Dyett in the afternoon.

Amid calls for change, Australia reaffirms Fiji policy

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Australia should ease up on Fiji

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A special report by Professor Richard Herr has said that Australia should eliminate some of the negatives in it's bilateral relationship with Fiji's military regime. Professor Herr said short of a regime change in Fiji, Australia could either wait for events to take their course or re-engage at a political level.

Pacific unity threatened by impass over Fiji

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Richard Herr has said that Kevin Rudd is halfway through his term as chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum, an association of Pacific Islands states along with Australia and New Zealand. Fiji was suspended from the forum's council on 2 May 09 over Fiji's failure to commit to holding elections by the end of the year. Article details more from the Special Report released by ASPI.

Minister blasts submarine management

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Defence Minister John Faulkner has described the management of the troubled Collins-class submarine fleet as sub-optimal and prevailed on Defence to get the project right before a new generation of submarines was attempted. A paper put out by ASPI put a price tag of $9 billion on buying off-the-shelf European submarines and $36 billion on an Australian design and build. Andrew Davies said our geography and strategic circumstances are very different from those in Europe.

Navy serves up a contractor's feast

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

OVer 1100 delegates from the defence industry flocked to Darling Harbour yesterday to get a sense of the size of the Rudd administration's $100 billion spending on Navy hardware. Andrew Davies said that the new submarine project and frigate project may be looking for more money this year for scoping studies.

Fiji needs a fresh approach

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Article on paper by Richard Herr on Australia - Fiji relationships

Academic calls for Fiji to rejoin PACER process

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

An Australian academic is calling for PACER-related sanctions against Fiji to be relaxed in an effort to restore harmony in the region. Professor Richard Herr authored the ASPI paper.

Business scores big on the gong list

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Johnson was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) medal for his development of leadership roles with the finance sector and his contributions as chairman of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the APEC business advisory council.

Guantanamo a trial for Barack Obama

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin and Gregory Rose commented that last Friday was the deadline for closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facitlity. They have suggested that decisions in national security might be better made by a bench of three or more senior judges.

Guantanamo a trial for Obama

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Army told to remove 'Jesus sights'

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Defence Minister John Faulkner has told the defence forces to remove biblical messages etched into gunsights that are prized by Australian special forces. Trijicon, a Michigan-based family company manufacture the so-called "Jesus Sights". Former SAS commander Jim Wallace, who now runs the Australian Christian Lobby, said the biblical messages on gun sights were inappropriate and could not understand why the company put them there.

Troops in payment 'debacle'

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Defence department has revealed it made overpayments ranging from $2000 to $9000 to 63 officers and soldiers who continued to receive international campaign allowances after returning from overseas deployments. A report released yesterday by the Austrlian Strategic Policy Intitute said that the Department of Defence needs greater external advice when making far-reaching decisions on issues such as weponry needs and large-scale hardware purchases.

Evolving threats to national security mean our spies need to learn to share their secrets

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin and Kelly O'Hara on the failure to head off the al-Qa'ida Christmas Day bombing attempt in the US underlines the importance of information sharing within our national security community.

Evolving threats to national security means our spies need to learn to share their secrets

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin and Kelly O'Hara commented on the failure to head off the al-Qa'ida Christmas Day bombing attempt in the US underlines the importance of information sharing within our national security community. The ultimate success in joining the dots to protect Australia will come down to the human element of building trust and creative leaders.

Something fishy happened in Japan

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

While the media has been transfixed by Japan's aggressive whaling in the Southern Ocean, a behind the stoush over deep sea tuna reveals that Australia has been more successful in standing up for conservation than might be apparent. About five years ago the Department if Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries initiated a probe by engaging fraud investigation company Kroll to examine the real size of Japan's catch. Kroll was joined by marine specialist Anthony Bergin of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

Centre to shield Australian against cyber attacks

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Australia has opened a new citadel to protect itself from attacks in what Defence Minister John Faulkner decribes as the "battlefield of cyberspace". ASPI warned in a special report by Alastair MacGibbon on cyber security that Australia's close intelligence partnership with the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand made the nation an obvious target for attack.

Defence skills shortage makes us an easy sub target

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Australia is vunerable to attack from submarines as concerns mount over dodgy military equipment and lack of skilled undersea warfare operators. Andrew Davies believes that the lack of equipment was symbolic of wider problems.

We're an easy sub target

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The nation is dangerously exposed at a time when 100 new submarines are due in service with regional navies. Andrew Davies said that detecting a submarine at long range involves a lot of interpretation and is not a skill that you can teach over night.

Undersea fears

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Australia is vulnerable to attack by submarines because of lack of skilled undersea operators and dodgy military equipment. Andrew Davies has said that the lack of equipment, including a dipping sonar to detect enemy submarines, was a symptom of a wider malaise.

Centre to shield Australia against cyber attacks

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The opening of the Cyber Security Operations Centre follows a year in which defence computer networks were attacked by about 220 "security incidents" a month, with another 220 targeting other government systems. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's special report on cyber security warned that Australia's close intelligence partnership with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand made the nation an obvious target for attack.

Subs on the way but no one to build them

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Next month the US think tank RAND Corporation will hand Defence Minister John Faulkner a report on Australia's submarine and design capability. Dr Andrew Davies has said that the costs and risks of building a new, all-Australian submarine will be formidable.

Choppers pose a critical choice

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Department of Defence is getting closer to choosing the helicopter that will replace the navy's ageing Seahawks. Dr Andrew Davies believes that if the current Seahawk can remain in service a little longer the navy can afford to wait until both contenders are fully operational and make a considered choice.

Ban protest vessels from using our ports

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

An opinion piece by Anthony Bergin in response to the events with Sea Shepherd and Japanese whaling in the southern oceans. Anthony puts a proposal to the government for limiting the Sea Shepherd's activities.

Ban protest vessels from using our ports

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Nuclear weapons 'could be built here'

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A dramatic deterioration in Asian security could push Australia to acquire nuclear weapons. Rod Lyons says such a decision certainly isn't close nor is it inevitable.

Nuke option viable

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Lyon's said the 2006 Switkowski report on nuclear power suggested it would take Australia at least 10 years and probably 15 to bring the first civil reactor into service.

Ellis-Jones speaks w...

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Ellis-Jones speaks with Carl Ungerer about today's arrival in Australia of Jane Holl Lute, Deputy Secretary, US Department of Homeland Security and her meeting with Anthony Albanese. Carl expects the talks will focus on the tightening of airport security internationally.

Engaging Conversations

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hillary Clinton arrives in Canberra on Sunday for her first visit as Secretary of State for the annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations. Rod Lyon said that we are only a year into the Obama Administration and he is still a little all over the shop on some things, and similarly they will be interested in looking at continued Australian engagement in the world.

Stop whaling, Australia tells Japan

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Rudd Government won't guarantee international legal action against Japanese whaling, despite toughening its anti-whaling rhetoric since Wednesday's collision in the Southern Ocean. Anthony Bergin said far from realising hopes of a softer whaling policy, Japan's Government seemed to have toughened its stance.

Labor refuses to mount whaling legal bid

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Since the collision between the Sea Shepherd vessel the Ady Gil and a Japanese whaling ship, there have been calls for the Government to live up to its pre-election promise to take Japan to an international court over its whaling practices. Anthony Bergin said that the new Japanese Government appears to have taken a harder line in the sense that they will be authorising these actions.

War talks: Clinton aims for engaging visit

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will discuss Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan and an enhanced role for the United States in the Asia-Pacific region when she visits Canberra this month. Rod Lyon said our interest will be still in exploring the Obama Administration's strategic policy.

Spooks caught with their pants down

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Carl Ungerer on the intelligence community's inability to share information, highlighted by Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab's reported attempt to blow up a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

Draft terrorism report planned

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The release of the Rudd government's long-awaited white paper on counter terrorism has been delayed yet again. The delay follows a report earlier this month by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute that described Australia's national security response as out of date.