The Navy’s new Evolved Cape Class patrol boats will now be delivered up to nine months later than planned due to the Morrison-Joyce Government’s incompetence.
In March this year, it was revealed that the Government’s decision to use materially deficient substandard Chinese aluminium was expected to delay their delivery by four to 16 weeks.
But a new report from the Australian National Audit Office has revealed that the delays have now blown out to six to nine months for each of the six new patrol boats.
The Government’s mismanagement of this $357 million project will now also cost taxpayers an extra $44 million because the Navy will need to spend more maintaining the existing fleet of aging Armidale Class patrol boats to cover the delay.
These boats perform important border security and surveillance missions that are critical for Australia’s national security.
This is an incompetent, wasteful Government that cannot deliver Defence projects on time or on budget.
Peter Dutton is this Government’s sixth Defence Minister, and it’s clear that the revolving door of defence ministers under Scott Morrison is contributing to the mismanagement of key Defence projects.
As always, taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for the Government’s stuff ups, and Australian Defence Force personnel are left without the capabilities they need to do their jobs.