In 1913, only 12 years after federation, the newly minted Royal Australian Navy sailed into Sydney harbour to the cheers of over 500,000 people (half of Sydney) and the strains of Hearts of Oak, Waltzing Matilda and Rule Britannia.
The fleet was centred around the battlecruiser HMAS Australia, a modern warship of over 20,000 tons with a speed of around 26 knots and 8 x 12-inch guns. It was the most powerful ship south of Japan. The fleet also included 3 x 6-inch gun light cruisers, three destroyers and two submarines.
German Admiral Maximilian von Spee, commanding officer of the powerful German East Asian Cruiser Squadron, had planned, in the event of hostilities, to cruise down the Australian east coast, bombard Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney, and cause havoc. Von Spee had a powerful cruiser squadron based around 2 x 8.2-inch armoured cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and 3 x 4.1-inch light cruisers, including the legendary Emden. However, with HMAS Australia to contend with, he felt discretion was the better part of valour as he knew Australia was superior to his entire force. Instead, he headed for Chile, where his squadron was ultimately sunk off the Falkland Islands in late 1914.
110 years later, we have just witnessed the arrogant display of gunboat diplomacy by the Chinese navy in sending three powerful ships around Australia to intimidate us.
The cruiser/destroyer Zunyi has 112 missile tubes and its escorting frigate Jiangki carries 32. The only modern ships in our navy are the three Hobart missile destroyers which have 48 missile cells each – 144 to the Chinese 144!
I saw the ABC quiz Peter Dutton the other day about how he plans to find the extra $3 billion needed to pay for the remaining F-35 strike fighters we are ordering. My response to that is: we spend so much money on unnecessary programs and wasteful projects that it really shouldn’t matter where it comes from.
We are in a national emergency brought on by decades of complacency, hiding behind the US and allowing them to do the heavy lifting for us. Trump’s recent appalling attack on the heroic Ukrainian President Zelenskyy raises serious questions about whether we can truly rely on the US, especially with this president.
Defence experts, like the late great Jim Molan, have warned us for years that we need to spend, most likely, four per cent of GDP on defence now.
We need to increase our fuel security. Currently, we only have 21 days of storage. We must refine our own fuel and explore new oil fields here in Australia. Additionally, we need to open more gas fields and coalfields.
Forget net zero targets, few countries are prioritising them anymore. Instead, let’s focus on restoring cheap, reliable energy and becoming self-sufficient once again.
I am not suggesting we get rid of US bases, as these at least make it more likely that the US may not simply cut and run. However, we should still plan for the worst-case scenario. Let’s expand our links and alliances with our Japanese and South Korean allies. With a sense of urgency, this could be Albo’s big moment but don’t hold your breath.
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