PM s treatment of Murugappan family a festering sore skynews.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from skynews.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Independent Senator Rex Patrick has labelled the Department of Defence’s management of the navy’s submarine program “a mess” and says the decision to remove competitive tension has come at a severe economic cost.
All six of the navy’s Collins-class submarines will undergo a $10 billion rebuild with the introduction of first of 12 new French Attack-class submarines now scheduled for 2035.
Although “absolutely necessary”, Senator Patrick says Australia’s “strange relationship” with Naval Group means defence officials need to be “thinking really long and hard about implementing that plan B”.
“We do need to have a highly capable submarine force as a deterrent and if indeed we ever go into conflict, they are very, very useful tools but the cost involved in this has been tremendous,” he told Sky News.
“The cost involved in this has been tremendous so in the future submarine program for the attack class, we’ve seen that project go from 50bn to 89bn, that
Vaccine passports serving as a distraction from bungled vaccine rollout 24/05/2021|7min
Independent Senator Rex Patrick says talk of vaccine passports is shielding the Federal Government from criticisms over its bungled vaccine rollout.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison intends to address issues regarding freedom of movement with National Cabinet on Friday with the view of allowing fully vaccinated individuals access into states regardless of border closures.
However, instead of introducing vaccine passports, Mr Patrick says the Federal Government needs more consistent messaging if it is to reduce hesitancy amongst Australians around receiving the jab.
“I think the idea (vaccine passports) is only being rolled out because it’s a distraction from the failure to roll out the vaccine,” he told Sky News.
Good morning, early birds. Following truce talks Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Hamas have announced a ceasefire, and Victoria makes a $3.8 billion budget pledge to rebuild the state s mental health system. It s the news you need to know, with
Chris Woods.
May 21, 2021
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the destroyed Al-Shorouq tower after an Israeli strike in Gaza City (Image: EPA/Mohammed Saber) ISRAEL AND HAMAS NEGOTIATE CEASEFIRE
Al Jazeera reports that, following truce talks mediated by Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Hamas have announced a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, though when the ceasefire will come into action is still being negotiated.
Rex Patrick and PM Fight Over Secrecy Around COVID-19 Medical Advice
Independent Senator Rex Patrick has challenged the Morrison government in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal over its alleged secrecy around national cabinet decisions on the COVID-19 response.
Patrick believes that the National Cabinet is not properly constituted and that the Prime Minister is “unilaterally and unlawfully wrapping a secrecy blanket” around the government’s COVID-19 response.
Currently, the National Cabinet has an exemption from the Freedom of Information (FOI) Laws as a “cabinet” has the entitlement for a “class exemption.” This mean’s that all medical advice to the national cabinet, the emergency Australian Health Protection Principal Committee of top health officers and the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission is shrouded in secrecy.