Peace groups outraged at provocative and extravagant military purchase

The national peace movement is horrified at the announcement that Australia will commit to spending up to $40billion of tax payers money buying 58 F35 Joint Strike Fighters from the USA.

More than 100 peace activists are in Canberra this week, and have focused on Australia’s defence spending. A petition protesting the purchase received 700 signatures this week.

“We are supposed to be in deep financial hole – so how on earth can we afford such an extravagant military purchase” said Justin Tutty, executive member of the Independent Peaceful Australia Network. “In a time of peace we should be investing in education and health and cutting back defence spending, not the other way around” he continued

“This decision is not only expensive but controversial. Even the project manager at the Pentagon says that these planes are ‘risky, risky, business’ because they are unreliable and need too much maintenance”.

“No Australian Defence strategic study has said we these strike fighters. The USA buys these for foreign wars but we do not need them. They are provocative in this time of global instability, and build fear rather than security. If we want peace, we need to invest in aid to our region, not aggressive military posturing” he concluded.
Justin Tutty, executive member of the Independent Peaceful Australia Network