Many of you probably know that almost a quarter of our navy is tied uselessly to a wharf due to lack of crew. Kruddy tells us he's going to double the sub fleet to 12 subs. That makes lots of sense, we can only crew 2 of the present 6.

If you are wondering why, here's a little hint.

HMAS Kanimbla spent 6 weeks in New Guinea. Most of the crew did not get off the ship. Perhaps the skipper was frightened of what would happen, if the rascals tried to rip off some of the boys. What ever the reason, they had not one day off in 6 weeks.

They got back to Oz, & some of the crew were given 4 days leave.

The problem is, that there's been an earth quake in Sumatra, & Kruddy wants to curry favour with the Indonesions. The blokes, on those 4 days leave are recalled, some of them before they have even got home. They are off to Sumatra.

After picking up a couple of hundred army types, & their bulldozers, etc, they then spend another 6 weeks, on board, with no leave.

So, now most of them have had one day, or less, off, in 12 weeks.

Worse, they are told, regularly, the Sumatrans don't want them. They don't want help, just money. Aussie go home, just send money.

Even worse, while this is happening we have our customs ship, sitting around with a load of dodgy boat people.

What do we do, at great expense, while she sits there? We conduct the regular crew exchange, by long distance flying. Couldn't have a customs crew work for more than their 6 weeks, even with leave every time They're in port, could we?

Could someone give Ruddy a message? Keep treating our navy boys like this, & there won't be any amphibious ships for any jobs that really need doing, they'll be tied up, looking for crew too.

Hasbeen,
I lived with a father who was on 24 hr call 7/352. As he said "That's the job". I was in a job where I didn't get any holidays for 4 years.
If you don't want that life don't join the navy and don't accept an officer posting to that sort of ship. I'm sure your son knows that.

It is undoubtedly unfortunate timing but that's life in the armed forces.

As a matter of probable fact the EMERGENCY was such that it was the only appropriate one that could be timely sent. It is/was an emergency and time is of the essence.

Oh yes, sending THAT ship wasn't up to Rudd it was a decision by the navy brass....tell them. Again you appear to be looking for a reason to blame someone for your prejudices.

As for the not being welcome: Imagine if your part of the gold Coast was so afflicted and president Turnbull had asked for help. I can imagine your response to be fronted by a mass of Muslim sailors who were itching to make sexy with the local girls. 'Splinter and mote' comes to mind.

Examinator, do you miss the point by accident, are you just too argumentative & opionated to listen, or just thick?

To help you. The Indonesiam president Turnbull told Ruddy that they did not want physical help, before they went, but the twit sent them anyway. A nice photo opp perhaps? Or was it cheeper to waste our blokes time, than send money. Perhaps that money was wanted to try to buy him out of his boat people problems.

These blokes signed on to defend us, even you, & would not have complained if asked to help Samoa, where it was wanted. However, to be sent where they are not wanted, where the peoples own government is not interested in helping, just to give a twit PM a couple of minutes of grandstanding has probably convinced a few more to get out.

If Ruddy doesn't know how many amphibious war ships we have, he must be an even bigger idiot than I have thought, they have just approved the building of 2 new larger ships, not as replacements, but extra capacity. If this bloody idiot continues as he's going, they will go straight into mothballs, along with 66% of our sub fleet, & all those Frigates.

The crew of this ship, many of them the same blokes, did not bitch, when they spent 3 months up there after the Tsunami. They were happy to help in a worth while job, but they have a highly developed, if simple, sense of right & wrong. Obviously much higher than that displayed in Canberra.

You appear to have missed the point that we don't treat our customs crew like this. They are changed over at great expense. How well do you think that goes down? Good bl@@dy thing we'll have customs to protect our shores [sic] when we no longer have a navy, just a few empty ships.

Continued.

Continued.

We now have a navy where junior ranks are overseeing their petty officers, as there are not enough POs qualifed to do the job. Most of those capable of doing the job are getting out, rather than take the promotion. Worse, there are very few capable of learning the skills, to do the job, comming through.

These things are now pretty high tech, & those capable of handling the technical training required, are getting better offers. At ship level, mostly, these people are valued, but not at government level, it seems. It's at the stage that the loss of just 2 or 3 critical people would render quite a few of our ships no longer safely opperational. It is great to have guns, & engines, although some almost don't, but with out radar, computers, refrigeration, or perhaps even a water treatment plant, you no longer have a warship.

Stop trying to defend the indefensible mate. Open your eyes & see how it is. These blokes get some advantages & service conditions that I did not get, as a navy pilot, in the 5os & 60s, but we did not get, & would not have stood for the amount of political misuse that's happening today.

Hasbeen,
none of the above.
You don't get it do you the brass choose the ship to go not Rudd.

The problems you are talking about are the problems of the navy brass they put in a budget and the govt allocates money full stop.
The Navy brass spend the money where they see fit, and just perhaps, the younger generation don't share your view of the armed forces. Which is indicated by the low recruitments for all the forces.People today use the forces to get their qualification and when their hitch is up they're gone.

How do you know what took place behind closed doors were you there? What makes you think the public are told ALL that is said and when?
It could be something different none of us knows.

As for your grandstanding how about the weazel (Howard)and his extra $3 million a year (that's $30 million) just so he could live in Sydney. Fair suck of the horn pipe cap't Bligh.

But hell if it makes you feel good yelling at Rudd or me go for it.

When it comes to peaceful efforts, being qualified to do the job on the ship while it's resting at the dock in Australian ports with the full knowledge of modern Australian culture is very much different from doing things the right way when that same ship enters foreign waters that come part in poarcel with completely forerign culture.

Good luck if everyone on that ship can get the gist of the change, just as Timor and New Guinea have different climates in the weather, but the chances are that most comlaints are about the weather, and then how these natives can't understand how great we art, with our big ship and all that help and the moolah. No wonder the younbg chicky-babes come flocking to the dock when the navy comes into town.

Get with the understanding on the culture, and maybe then you won't be asked to leave so much. For all the wonderful help our powerful and macho-phallused forces can do, if not treated with utmost care and conmsideration of the local global neighbiour that Australians are there to help out, you might see how beneath the surface, it does more harm, to others than it does good.

Maybe that is why we're generally asked to go home from our neighbours' parties. We have the capacity, but not the ability.