Senator Nick Xenophon has used home-baked goods to stir up coverage of the government’s failure to meet its pre-election submarine promise.
In the lead-up to the 2013 federal election, then opposition defence spokesman, David Johnston, promised Australia’s new submarine fleet would be built in Adelaide.
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It was originally expected to take 18 months to finalise, but 24 months in to the government’s term, Senator Xenophon decided to turn up the heat.
“On its 2nd anniversary Govt takes the cake for not fulfilling its election promise to build Subs in Aust,” he posted to Twitter.
In August, South Australian federal frontbencher Christopher Pyne told the ABC it was a work in progress.
“There’s been no decision made not to build the submarines in Australia, no decision at all,” Mr Pyne said.
“The submarines decision will be made at the appropriate time.
“Even if the submarines aren’t built in Adelaide from the ground up, more than 50 per cent of the cost of submarines is maintenance and sustainment and that can only be done in Adelaide.”
Love it “@abcnews: Senator @Nick_Xenophon marks the #Abbott Government’s two years in office with a submarine cake https://t.co/pNPw3hlfpZ”
— Yorick Piper (@YorickPiper) September 7, 2015
On its 2nd anniversary Govt takes the cake for not fulfilling its election promise to build Subs in Aust #auspol pic.twitter.com/v84VxtBFKt
— Nick Xenophon (@Nick_Xenophon) September 6, 2015