Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has admitted there are serious problems in manning the Collins-class submarines and says the government is working hard to retain the crews it already has. Mr Fitzgibbon was speaking after The Australian revealed warnings contained in a confidential defence report which said the submarine fleet was in danger of becoming unsustainable because of a chronic shortfall of qualified sailors. "Our people and skills shortage is the single biggest challenge facing the...Read Full Story
Australia remains committed to the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft despite reports the warplane has performed poorly in exercises against aircraft used by China and Russia. Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon told ABC TV's Lateline program last night the JSF was still the right aircraft to ensure Australia's military superiority. Despite the poor results of the recent Pacific Vision Wargames exercise in Hawaii, Mr Fitzgibbon said he was convinced the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was the right...Read Full Story
More damning details have been released which further compromise former Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon – due to his relationship with an agent of Chinese government and business interests, Ms. Liu, including secret payments made to Fitzgibbon designed to win his favour in Cabinet:
The documents show Ms Liu recorded her payment of 850,000 yuan – about $150,000 - to Joel Fitzgibbon under the heading ”money paid including expenses and gifts”.
The same document shows Ms Liu recorded the...Read Full Story
Bolt has a good summation of the intrigue between the Defence Minister and his good Chinese friend Helen Liu. The fact that Joel Fitzgibbon misled the public about his associations with Liu seems besides the point for Rudd and Gillard. Why would Fitzgibbon lie? What’s there to hide?The latest is that Liu has close connections not only with the Communist Party, but also the PLA and has been active in promoting Communist Party propaganda in non-Han Chinese parts of China.
Liu claims she is...Read Full Story
Defence Minister Fitzgibbon was recently interviewed on Radio National about his relationship with a lobbyist for the Chinese government and military, which was revealed - allegedly - by a spy operation within Defence:
Mr Fitzgibbon says he is satisfied that no one within the high ranks of Defence would have been involved in any operation to spy on him but says he does not know whether others may have acted on their own.
“Whether there’s a rogue element further down the ranks I don’t know...Read Full Story
Brisbane TimesAssistance available for aluminium smelterABC OnlineHunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon says the government is willing to help workers with the transition to other employment. Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon says the Federal Government stands ready to assist the financially troubled Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter, ...600 smelter jobs at riskThe Maitland MercuryAluminium: support but no bailoutNewcastle Heraldall 111 news articles »
THE half-trillion-dollar defence cuts in the US announced by the President, Barack Obama, this week will drive the cost to Australia of the vaunted Joint Strike Fighter even higher, says the former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon. The increased cost of ...
And Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon said it was likely the project would be delivered ahead of schedule. The federal government has brought forward $200 million funding to maintain the momentum of the project. “We indicated at the beginning of construction ...
Developers prepare for NBN rolloutABC OnlineThe Federal Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon says it is only a matter of time before the network will be rolled out to the region. "We are working hard to have the NBN rolled out in the Hunter sooner rather than later," he said. ...and more »
Sources said they included ministers Mark Arbib, Jason Clare, Tony Burke and backbenchers Chris Hayes and Joel Fitzgibbon. Mr Rudd has eight MPs willing to back him, with the remainder undecided. Ms Gillard's main support appears to rest with the Victorian ...
Opinions and recommended stories about Joel Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon is the Minister for Defence and is part of the Australian Labor Party. Follow Fitzgibbon here.
Indonesia will avoid any major boost to military spending over the next five to 10 years as it focuses on the economy and social spending, Juwono Sudarsono said during a press conference with his Australian counterpart Joel Fitzgibbon.
Welcome to my website. The purpose of this site is to keep Hunter residents better informed on matters and events important to the electorate. It also gives industry groups and the ...
Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon (born 16 January 1962), is the Minister for Defence in the first Rudd Ministry. Fitzgibbon, an Australian Labor Party politician, has been a member of the ...