Buying 7 drones for $1.5 billion to watch our waters. Gee, could build them for a fraction of the price if the libs had brains - and didn't waste cash so much.

How long do you reckon it'll be before they're used to spy on US?

Not very long at all, is my guess.

If they are not being used already ...

Why ?

The asylum seakers want to be found. Even if they make the coast, the phone the authorities to pick them up.

Why spend $7b to detect them ?

Spend the extra $7b on a decent NBN FFS.

Plenty of greed up logic in this thread and very little fact. A link might help that.

Y drones?  We should develop nuclear weapons for our protection.  That makes much more common sense

Needs a poll  :D :D :D

Kat wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 12:38pm:

How long do you reckon it'll be before they're used to spy on US? Not very long at all, is my guess.

Why would we spy on the United States?


____ wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 12:36pm:

Buying 7 drones for $1.5 billion to watch our waters. Gee, could build them for a fraction of the price if the libs had brains - and didn't waste cash so much.

Maybe they could get a few 2nd hand ones from Annimal Libbers

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201304/s3727254.htm

sir prince duke alevine wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 1:03pm:

Y drones?  We should develop nuclear weapons for our protection.  That makes much more common sense

Actually, what a great idea.  To develop the nuclear weapons we can also utilise our large dole bludger workforce of 12 year olds!  Get those bludgers to work, protecting this nation from the evils of asylum seekers. Those bastards! NUKE 'EM!

Swagman wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 1:07pm:

Kat wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 12:38pm: How long do you reckon it'll be before they're used to spy on US? Not very long at all, is my guess. Why would we spy on the United States? ____ wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 12:36pm: Buying 7 drones for $1.5 billion to watch our waters. Gee, could build them for a fraction of the price if the libs had brains - and didn't waste cash so much. Maybe they could get a few 2nd hand ones from Annimal Libbers http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201304/s3727254.htm

Eh?

The U.S.?

No.

US, as in you, me, him. You know...US.

As opposed to THEM...

WTF did you get the U.S. from?

Libs could also buy kit sets and spy over the back fence
Or go micro and spy in everyone's home.

Australians should consider a bill of rights before its too late.

____ wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 12:36pm:

Buying 7 drones for $1.5 billion to watch our waters. Gee, could build them for a fraction of the price if the libs had brains - and didn't waste cash so much.

Just add them to the ones we already have i guess.


BTW they aren't that easy to manufacture especially when you don't have a an military aircraft industry to make them. But don't worry that has nothing to do with the liberals, but the witlam labor government.

---

Quote:

Unmanned aerial drone surveillance will form part of a Coalition government's artillery against asylum seeker boats, defence spokesman Senator David Johnston has said. He also suggested officers on Customs and Navy boats in remote international waters would be given the job of deciding whether asylum seekers were genuine. Senator Johnston said on Thursday that the opposition would spend $1.5 billion on seven drones and aim to have them patrolling Australia's waters and international waters within four to five years. He said that currently 90 per cent of asylum seekers intercepted at sea were taken to Christmas Island. Advertisement Senator Johnston was speaking after a boat carrying 66 asylum seekers arrived from Sri Lanka at the WA town of Geraldton on Tuesday, saying they were trying to get to New Zealand. The group will be taken to Christmas Island to assess their claims. ''Obviously given the threats at the moment and the fact that we've had a boat come all the way down to Geraldton, obviously seven might need to be rethought,'' Senator Johnston told the ABC. ''But they do have up to a 42-hour loitering or flying time, endurance time, such that it just gives us a huge capability.'' Senator Johnston said that once boats were detected, surface craft would be sent after them to intercept the boats and to turn them around where it was safe to do so, and with the co-operation of the countries they had left. ''Now we would anticipate intercepting them at a much earlier stage with this platform,'' he said. ''So we'd be much closer to both Indonesia and Sri Lanka in this particular instance, such that it would give us a greater opportunity to engage authorities and say look we've got this boat coming, it's not seaworthy, we're going to bring it back.'' Greens leader Christine Milne dismissed the drones plan as part of the ''weird and wonderful'' ideas floated before the federal election in September. ''We're going to see a lot of propositions either put out there or debated for base political reasons, not because they're ever likely to happen,'' Senator Milne said. Senator Johnston suggested that Navy and Customs officers could be responsible for determining whether people intercepted in boats were genuine refugees under a Coalition government. He said: ''I think ultimately the interdiction crew that our patrol boats and our Customs boats would put on board would make an adjudication. ''Normally we would obviously, the interception takes place way out at sea, a long way from anywhere, normally we'd bring them to Christmas Island. That would probably be 90 per cent of the cases,'' he said. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and immigration spokesman Scott Morrison have consistently said that the Coalition would turn back boats when it was safe to do so as part of their border protection policy. Earlier this month, Indonesian police senior commissioner Parsaoran Damanik, of Banten Police in West Java, attacked the tow-back plan, saying it would ''disadvantage'' Indonesia. ''Absolutely it's a disadvantage for us. [Our actions] are not only about protecting our country's interests but we're also protecting Australia's interests,'' he said. He said that Australia's current policy of processing asylum seekers on Nauru or Manus Island was better because Indonesia could not handle more asylum seekers being returned. ''We could arrest around two groups of illegal migrants per week, but we cannot put the migrants into jail. [All we can do is] legally process the drivers, the smugglers, vehicle owners,'' he said. The federal government is considering replacement options for its AP-3C Orion manned maritime surveillance aircraft. Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor said on Thursday that he had not yet received answers on why the asylum boat made it to the mainland, but that people should not be too concerned about such a ''rare occurrence''. Mr O'Connor told ABC radio that he did not believe that the boat's captains had adopted a new strategy to reach Australian shores, but he would need to get this confirmed by the agency. ''I think this vessel is . . . an exceptional case. We'll examine the reasons this has occurred. We'll certainly explain that publicly once we've confirmed that.'' http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/coalition-to-bring-in-the-drones-against-asylum-boats-20130411-2hmyn.html#ixzz2Q7cZ2g00

Whats the total spend up to now for the Liberals????

I thought Labor was sending us broke?

BigOl64 wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 1:16pm:

____ wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 12:36pm: Buying 7 drones for $1.5 billion to watch our waters. Gee, could build them for a fraction of the price if the libs had brains - and didn't waste cash so much. Just add them to the ones we already have i guess. BTW they aren't that easy to manufacture especially when you don't have a an military aircraft industry to make them. But don't worry that has nothing to do with the liberals, but the witlam labor government.

Which ones you biggy?

I reckon the Ginger in the background ;)

I thought all the drones where in Canberra calling themselves a govt..

____ wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 1:16pm:

Libs could also buy kit sets and spy over the back fence Or go micro and spy in everyone's home. Australians should consider a bill of rights before its too late.

Why the Libs? They should outsource the job to the mining industry.

In fact, while we're at it, they should sign over the whole of Western Australia.

You're right, Gina, Twiggy and Clive need a bill of rights before it's too late.

Kat wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 1:13pm:

Swagman wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 1:07pm: Kat wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 12:38pm: How long do you reckon it'll be before they're used to spy on US? Not very long at all, is my guess. Why would we spy on the United States? ____ wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 12:36pm: Buying 7 drones for $1.5 billion to watch our waters. Gee, could build them for a fraction of the price if the libs had brains - and didn't waste cash so much. Maybe they could get a few 2nd hand ones from Annimal Libbers http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201304/s3727254.htm Eh? The U.S.? No. US, as in you, me, him. You know...US. As opposed to THEM... WTF did you get the U.S. from?

The "US" and not "us"  :)


Dsmithy70 wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 1:30pm:

Whats the total spend up to now for the Liberals???? I thought Labor was sending us broke?

You thought right.  The Libs haven't spent anything because they're not in Govt, so their total spend is NIL.... :D

Dsmithy70 wrote on Apr 11^th, 2013 at 1:32pm:

BigOl64 wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 1:16pm: ____ wrote on Apr 11th, 2013 at 12:36pm: Buying 7 drones for $1.5 billion to watch our waters. Gee, could build them for a fraction of the price if the libs had brains - and didn't waste cash so much. Just add them to the ones we already have i guess. BTW they aren't that easy to manufacture especially when you don't have a an military aircraft industry to make them. But don't worry that has nothing to do with the liberals, but the witlam labor government. Which ones you biggy? I reckon the Ginger in the background ;)

Not my aircraft mate. Mine always has weapons onboard, no point having an airforce otherwise.  :)