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The Forum > Article Comments > Defending Australia from itself > Comments

Defending Australia from itself : Comments

By Stuart Ballantyne, published 14/12/2021

The Chinese are ahead of the game here, having a fleet of 'fishing vessels' sitting in the 40 mile gap between the Norfolk and Lord Howe territorial waters for most of this year.

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I read this article elsewhere. It is a 'must read'.
Posted by ttbn, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 7:39:21 AM
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Stuart Ballantyne is a perfect example of a practical thinker who is outnumbered by bureaudroids. If I had my way, the EPA would not be allowed to have any say in areas where their bureaudroids don't reside !
Posted by individual, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 9:03:35 AM
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"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - President Reagan Aug. 12, 1986
Posted by mhaze, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 10:19:09 AM
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Having lived on Norfolk Island for two years back in the 1980's, I agree with Stuart Ballantyne's analysis of the inept Australian Government's lazy and penny-pinching obfuscation and inaction on Norfolk's major problem. Captain Phillip’s instructions from King George 111 contained this passage – Norfolk Island ….being represented as a spot which may hereafter become useful, you are as soon as circumstances will admit of it, to send a small establishment thither to secure the same to us, and prevent it being occupied by the subjects of any other European power.
https://firstfleetfellowship.org.au/convicts/norfolk-island-settlement/

Obviously, the present owners [Australian Commonwealth Government] cannot be trusted to follow simple instructions from the King!
Posted by Cyclone, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 11:48:23 AM
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When that intrepid navigator Captain Cook sailed the Pacific Islands on his way to discovering Oz, the islanders had home designed & built 80 to 110Ft double hulled canoes, capable of sailing rings around poor old HMS Endevour. Those canoes could make multi thousand mile voyages, & be dragged up on any beach they could approach through the reef.

The fact that those people have degenerated into a cargo cult society is no reason to supply them with ships they should be building themselves. Those olden day canoes, suitably powered would be the perfect landing craft for humanitarian missions after a cyclone in the islands. I see no reason to supply Fiji with any ships/boats.

Way back in the 70s a container ship service included Rabaul in it's itinerary. They had a self loading traveling gantry that traveled the length of the ship. It would steam into port, pick up a mooring for easy handling, & unload containers into the bay. A couple of small 40 Ft launches would then tow the containers to individual moorings, or to shore where they were to be unloaded.

Export containers, or empties would be towed out & picked up by the ship. It would unload & load a dozen containers each way in not much more than an hour. Such a service could be easily handled at Norfolk. Perhaps Norfolk is too small & inconsequential to be included in such a service, or perhaps politics prevent it. Perhaps the workforce doesn't want to lose its regular employment. What ever, the freight involved is definitely not worth a huge undertaking in harbor
building.

Obviously Stewart does not read history, otherwise he would know that garrisoning such places is total waste. Doing so in Rabal & Kavieng for WW11 simply killed a few brave, trained pilots, who could have been useful somewhere else, & a few hundred men, likewise totally wasted. The Japs could not hold such islands with up to 20,000 well armed & dug in defenders.

Pie in the sky can be quite tasty, until you have to actually pay for it.
Posted by Hasbeen, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 2:24:05 PM
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Hasbeen, you said they unloaded containers into the bay.
I presume you meant onto barges or something as the containers are not watertight.
as someone said, please explain.
Posted by Bazz, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 3:22:04 PM
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