http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/1010367/diggers-to-wear-combat-material-made-in-china
Are they serious....?
in my limited understanding of the relevence of all things military, isn't one of the jingo-istic chest beating mantras they use for recruitment and self justification "to defend and protect from threat the aussie way of life" ...?
except i guess when it comes to economics...
one more reason to be embarrassed to call myself aussie http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/1010367/diggers-to-wear-combat-material-made-in-china
Doc,
One of the things that I have learned over the past 55 years is that war itself has become an accepted way of doing business, particularly for our American friends although we seem to jump pretty sharply whenever the strings are jerked.
So it comes as no surprise that the uniforms should be contracted out.
So where did we get the matirial from in the first place?
And they are going to be stiched together in Bendigo so why does this matter?
Excuse my ignorance but I cant really see the problem....
Please explain!! 
We are talking some 400 Aussie jobs lost overseas due to this action.
I once was in the manufacturing game 25 years and was smashed by
cheap imported products which in turn cost over 100 jobs in my company 
and has sent many fine companies to the wall, the great wall of china
AS doc is saying, the defence force is to protect our homeland,but screw your
job, we will out source to china, make them wealthier to build weapons of mass
destruction and we wont have the funds to feed or forces.
Sorry rant over, have a nice day
Heard a financier explaining why it did not make financial sense to buy Australian in a global sense. I am sure the people that lose their jobs are comforted by that 
Why don't they subcontract the army, navy and airforce to the Chinese armed forces? They will probably defend Australia for about one tenth of the price it costs us now and if they betray us its just a good example of outsourcing gone wrong.
Oh well I just finished eating a good old Australian meat pie
well it was made in Australia,not sure about the contents[}:)]
The Styer rifle is manufactured in australia , by the Australian Defence Industries in Lithgow,yes was originally from Austria
Makes sense.
Aussie way of life: Dig sh!t up (Diggers), send it to Communist China, have them make stuff for us and send it back. Then with the money we save invest it in property. Cos we is sart... I mean smart.
Penny Wrong for PM!
Kevin speaks Mandarin... why don't we have a 2nd language taught in school like Mandarin... I wish I could speak Mandarin, it sure would help me around Sydney... I can understand a little Cantonese, but these days everybody is speaking Mandarin and I feel left out.
Perhaps the defence force are ordering some of these speccy units?
BTW. My nads feel all exotic and eastern since BONDS moved offshore. Cheaper than a flight to Bali. 
I think the point has been entirely missed here.
Regardless of what sensationalized news says, it is not about 'others' taking our jobs (well the sh!tty jobs that few Australians want).
The plan to outsource military clothing to be made in China has now been abandoned. This has nothing to do with global economics, or keeping Australian jobs in Australia.
It's about:
A) Keeping the supplier close and therefore guaranteeing military clothing supply in a potential future war
B) Minimising the chances of a future enemy buying our military clothing (straight from the manufacturer) to decieve and confuse Australian forces and it's citizens.
History shows that the world turns into a very hostile and confusing place during war. All the high tech weapons and military toys mean nothing if one doesn't know who is friend, and who is foe.
^^^ isn't that what the NEW WORLD ORDER or those bringing it about are trying to do...?
Well not quite... NWO/World Government/IPCC... they're just an additional layer of bureaucracy or non productive societal leeches.
So we have local council > state government > federal government > World Government.
What J Murray suggests is that we do away with all those useless people that just fine and tax us in exchange for free rides around the world, parties at golf clubs and reams of toilet paper legislation... and out source our government requirement to China.
So I see it like this: Free phone Government Hotline >>> Citizen calls the number, says "Yo Government, we need better hospitals and Drs., and we don't want to pay any more" >>> Government figures out a policy like "We send 20,000 Chinese miners, dig Iron ore out, send you best English speaking Drs., build new super shiny hospitals".
Then once they've proposed their solution, we have a poll night, you know like BIG BROTHER or Pop Idol, where you call/SMS and vote.
Citizen: "Yo Government, I'm f***ing sick of all the damn traffic"
Government: "No pompem, we build super 7 story flyover, u never have traffic jam... only cost 2,000,000 tons Iron Ore"
Poll Night: "Dial 1800 BUILDTHE****INGFLYOVERS for Flyover construction or Dial 1800 WENEEDCHEAPER, for a cheaper solution"
Instead we have a dysfunctional Two-Party Political crapfest. Polarized partisanship increasing: Every day both parties show zero interest in cooperating for the public good. Instead they fight viciously, resisting everything and anything proposed by opponents. Only goal: Score political points, make the other side look bad.
And since the "Government" are just a bunch of unqualified freeloading idiots, even if they agree to do something they f**k it up... God help us.
[}:)]
