Here is a link to Benyamin Netanyahu's speech at Davos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1gPj6m-D0

Take home messages.

--Israel with few natural resources has a high tech economy. It spends 4.4% of GDP on R&D, more than any other country. (Australia 2.2% as at 2010).

--Much of Israel's high tech sector was driven by the need for a robust defence industry. (Even Kuwait buys the products of the Israeli defence industry.)

--Israel is sometimes called startup nation. (According to the "Startup Genome Project" Tel Aviv is second only to Silicon Valley as the go to place for startups)

What does all this have to do with Australia?

Robert Gottliebsen, writing in Business Spectator on 24 January has a piece titled "How Indonesia will control Australian migration."

Bottom line:

--Indonesia is buying 180 modern jets including the Sukhoi 35S. They're probably better than the American F35 which appears to be a disaster.

--The Indonesians are also buying a dozen missile firing submarines.

To quote Gottleibsen:

>>And it’s clear the Indonesians believe their greatest threat is from Australia. Air Force chief spokesman Air Commodore Hadi Tjajanto told The Jakarta Post: “We are concentrating on four radars in Timika, Merauke, Saumlaki and Buraen, which face Australia.>>

Gottliebsen bases his story on articles in the Jakarta Post which he links.

See: http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/1/24/politics/how-indonesia-will-control-australian-migration

It looks as if Indonesia is set to be the dominant air and sea power in the waters north of Australia.

The minerals boom is tapering off. Australia will continue to make money from its minerals trade provided it improves efficiency and reduces costs but the halcyon days are over.

What now?

Three points emerge.

--Australia needs to move past being a farm and a quarry. That means developing technology. It has an able scientific labour force but seems to lack a startup ecology.

--It needs to augment its defence capabilities.

--Maybe time to consider the nuclear ace in the hole?

How to achieve all this?

If Kuwait can partner with Israel can Australia?

Why not learn from the people who've done it?

You can read about startup genome here:

http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/20/startup-genome-ranks-the-worlds-top-startup-ecosystems-silicon-valley-tel-aviv-l-a-lead-the-way/

The top two places for startups are Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv.

Sydney weighs in at number 12 sandwiched between Paris and Sao Paolo. Melbourne is down at number 18.

Let's compare Abbott and Netanyahu.

As Netanyahu put it in his speech, you have to balance your cheque book. Abbott would agree.

But then, Netanyahu points out, merely balancing your cheque book does not make you rich. He goes on to expound a sort of vision of Israel. Where is Abbott's vision of Australia? When you've "axed the tax" and done something or another to the NBN what then?

Can you imagine an argument about the need for a national broadband network in Israel of the sort we've had here?

Can you imagine the anti-science attitudes we find in Australia about, say, climate change? To quote Netanyahu:

>>The threat of climate change is no less menacing than the security threats that we face.>>

Maybe that's why Israel is innovation nation and Australia is wondering what to do as the minerals boom tapers off

Obviously Australia giving aid to Indonesia is about as stupid as it can get. They are much richer than us.

It was ridiculous our servicemen losing their lives in helping after the tsunami, when Indonesia had all the resources it required, but was not interested in using them to help the people of a rebellious province.

That billion a year that Rudd/Gillard ripped out of our defense budget will come back to bite us.

We are also buying the wrong gear. Amphibious ships, whose main purpose is to offer support, & aid after a disaster are of little defense use. Surface to surface missile armed patrol boats would be a better weapon to defend our northern approaches, along with adequate anti air & anti submarine capacity.

Vessels to support peacekeeping missions are only of use, once peace is enforced. Unless we can enforce such peace, these ships are just good target practice for any enemy.

Stevenlmeyer, I would hate to see Australia have anything to do with Israel, given that they continue on with an ancient 'war' with their neighbours, and seem to be in a perpetually agitated state!
I doubt we could learn anything from that country, other than how to continue a war.

Hasbeen, obviously Abbott and Co. have not heard the scary declarations of war against us from Indonesia that you have.

They prefer to send our navy personnel to turn back boatloads of scary refugees rather than in defending our Northern borders...

'I would hate to see Australia have anything to do with Israel, ' To late Susie, read history and stop your hatred. Our light horseman are heroes.,

Aren't we discussing modern day Australia Runner?
Drag yourself out of the last century(s) man...