Re: NT govt may scuttle Darwin rail

["Bill Miller" <backtran@optusnet.com.au>]

A little off subject.....

The Indonesians will have to work out how to attack it (and what with)
first. They spend about a quarter we do on defence, and would not be able to
maintain anything like air superiority. They have nothing that compares to
F111's and only a small fighter force. The fact is that Australia can put
bombers (F111's) over major indonesian cities and installations and they
cannot in turn to us, this fact is not talked about much since it would
offend and worry the Indonesians. Another thought, if they invaded how the
hell would they maintain supply lies etc over the timor gap when our
defeince force is tuned to anti shipping.

Sure, our defence force has a lot of shortcomings and no upstanding cynical
Australian will ever say they are effective, but I wouldn't write them off
with the old one liner "there is no defence", which is mostly said by people
with little or no knowledge of the relative hardware of the armed forces of
the region.


John Wayman wrote in message <7t3qjp$sp7$1@news1.mpx.com.au>...
>Don't worry,
>
>The Indonesian Govt may be more interested in developing this area than
>Australia, especially when they work out we can't defend it. The area is
>resource rich with only three roads into it and no rail.
>
>Australia will have to pull their finger out and get serious about the
>north, or lose it all.
>
>Maybe Australians will begin to realise this is our gateway to the rest of
>the world,
>
>Cheers :0(
>John Wayman
>
>< Tell > <telljb@OZozemail.com.au> wrote in message
>news:381333a8.7464022@news.ozemail.com.au...
>> dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David Bromage) wrote:
>> >
>> > Today's Adelaide Advertiser reports that the NT government may withdraw
>> > from the Alice Springs - Darwin project (taking its $100 million with
>it)
>> > over a dispute with the preferred construction tenderer. Chief Minister
>> > Denis Burke says the Asia Pacific Transportation Corporation is not
>> > pledging enough money to the project.
>>
>> Have not heard anything up here, yet.
>>
>> > APTC is currently trying to raise $800 million of private invesement.
>The
>> > SA and federal oppositions are calling on the Federal government to
>invest
>> > moe money in the project.
>>
>> Yes, it would seem that the "private" Alice to Darwin
>> Railway, is very much depended on tax payers money.
>>
>> Opposition's promising money is easy, they do not have
>> to account.  Even when Labor was in power, Bob Hawke
>> sent David-SRA-Hill up here many years ago, to put the
>> kybosh on the Alice to Darwin rail.
>>
>> Funny how, when the current Labor Opposition, Federal
>> and South Australian were in government they did
>> absolutely *nothing* when they were in Government to
>> build this line.  The Territory government was alone.
>>
>> Am I a cynic.?  Yes.  59 years old makes me that way.
>>
>> ----Terry Burton
>> [clear OZ in address for email reply]
>
>