Ask Bucko

Always a relief to get your deposit in, no matter how early …

“Washington: President Donald Trump supports the AUKUS defence pact and appreciates Australia’s financial support for American naval shipbuilding, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said, as the US received its first $800 million down payment from Australia for its future submarine production.” Michael Koziol, the Age

The worst deal Australia has ever entered into. We pay $368 Billion and maybe we get a couple of submarines, in twenty to thirty years time. We have paid the deposit to a country which is now led by a convicted felon, who is currently involved in establishing a kleptocracy, where Elon Musk, an unelected yahoo, is busily dismantling the US government, and most of its components.

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Richard Marles, our Defence Minister, is the worst performing Defence Minister since Peter Dutton, but he is a slave to AUKUS, which is the code name for America’s latest and most risk-free scam.

Any guarantees on the ships being delivered? No

Any guarantees the US will still be a political entity after Trump’s wrecking ball has passed through? No

Any guarantees the country led by Trump will follow through on actually manufacturing the subs? No

Any guarantee that Trump will legislate the delivery of the subs, even though Australia is actually subsidising the shipbuilders? No

Was Pete Hegseth sober as he pocketed the cheque? Unsure

Will the cheque make it to the bank? Unsure

Any guarantee Trump will spare putting tariffs on Australia? Unsure

Most Australians secretly think the way our country is going that we’ll end up as the 51st state. Elevating Canada to the top of that list seems downright unfair. We’re much more sycophantic than those Canucks.

On a serious note, I almost fainted when I read that Australia is actually subsidising America’s naval shipbuilding industry, because the US cannot keep up with building subs for its own needs, let alone third parties like us.

That would be the America which apparently leads the world, in everything. And they’re stuck for cash to build submarines. Wow is all I can say. Thank God we’re not charging them interest. And please, don’t let the Chinese know the Americans are going bad for a quid (buck).

The payment of a deposit before the actual manufacturing begins smells bad. When was the last time Australia had to stump up cash for military equipment, twenty years before delivery?

This sneaky deal’s details were kept quiet, and it makes the return of our deposit, should things go arse-up, the stuff of fiscal nightmares. Especially if we’re relying on the word of Trump’s America.