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Coalition points to next-generation stealth bombers as potential AUKUS stopgap
The US has been testing the B-21 aircraft in recent months. (Supplied: US Department of War)
Australia should consider acquiring a fleet of next-generation B-21 stealth bombers from the United States as an AUKUS stopgap, Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson says.
Senator Paterson used an address at the National Press Club to say the idea was worth considering, but it was not Coalition policy.
The Coalition has reiterated its call for the government to significantly lift defence spending.
Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson has suggested Australia should consider acquiring next-generation B-21 stealth bombers from the United States to help bridge the gap until the AUKUS submarines arrive.
Shadow minister says Australia ‘ill-prepared’ for conflict – as it happened
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And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, letâs recap the big headlines:
The RSL has announced it will review its guidance on welcome to country addresses at Anzac Day services after Indigenous leaders were booed at three dawn services on Saturday.
The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, says a Coalition government would double fuel reserves in Australia to at least 60 days, and spend $800m to build a new storage facility. Announcing a new policy alongside the Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, Taylor said the Albanese government should lift baseline stockholdings from 1 January next year, to get Australia closer to the 90-day minimum reserves required by the International Energy Agency.
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Coalition calls for government to consider fleet of ‘long-range bombers’
Australia should consider buying a fleet of ultra-modern, long-range bomber aircraft from the United States to ensure the nation can strike far from its shores even if the AUKUS submarine pact hits a hurdle, shadow defence minister James Paterson has argued.
Paterson said that while he was an AUKUS “true believer”, the plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines carried “enormous risks”, meaning contingency planning was needed to ensure Australia was not left exposed.
“We are doing the public a disservice just by saying everything is fine,” Paterson said in a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday. “I think we do need to make changes so that we can deliver AUKUS.”
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