I have no problem with defence spending; we should be spending more. But, I read in a book review that the fools are paying $3,000.00 EACH for Styr service rifles. I'm out of touch with weaponry these days, but it seems to me that you could buy two well machined sporting rifles, retail, for that much. I wonder how much the venerable AK 47 costs our potential enemies?

By all means, lets send our troops into combat with two sporting rifles each (well-machined ones of course).

Otherwise I'm sure they will love being issued with AK47s or some other real cheap option.

Bugsy,

You don't have any idea. $3,000 for a mass produced rifle, made under licence in Australia, is ludicrous.

Not only is the cost ludicrous but so is the range, our troops were consistently out ranged in Afghanistan by tribesmen using rifles of WW II and earlier vintage.
For effective long range shooting the Australian forces now use the American SR25 in 7.62 x 51mm NATO which is a much more effective round than the 5.56mm round of the Steyr.
The plant that was at Lithgow for the manufacture of the very effective L1A1 (the SLR) was 'sold' (read given) to Indonesia.

There are flow-on negative consequences of political populism. The politicians know that, but the 24hr news cycle and 'gotcha journalism', the ABC leads in that, make for short term popularity over statesmanship.

Actually ttbn, I just have no interest, as do probably most posters here.

You looked lonely, but now it seems you have a new friend to play with who shares your interest in military weapons. So, good luck with that.