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ABC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberals turn to Frank Pangallo in bid to recapture 'blue ribbon' seat of Waite
Photographs capture triumphs but then turn them into ironies — a point proved by the above snapshot taken in the aftermath of the 2018 South Australian state election. It shows SA Best founder Nick Xenophon and the party's successful upper house candidates Frank Pangallo and Connie Bonaros on the steps of SA parliament, where they had gathered to bask in the glow of electoral glory. Did it occur to them that this particular instant might become a hostage to fortune, and acquire a considerably different hue as the years elapsed? "A photograph is only a fragment, and with the passage of time its moorings come unstuck," wrote American essayist Susan Sontag. In the case of the SA Best trio, the process of disbandment lasted somewhat longer than a mere moment, but it was relentless nonetheless. Mr Xenophon — whose bid to enter parliament as the member for Hartley, in Adelaide's eastern suburbs, had been thwarted by Liberal incumbent Vincent Tarzia — was the first to walk away, telling The Advertiser in late 2018 that his resignation from the party he created had been "very amicable". Five years later, two turned into one — Mr Pangallo left SA Best in 2023, citing differences with Ms Bonaros, who has retained the party's branding. But in a twist of fate, Mr Pangallo has now sworn allegiance not only to the Liberal Party, but to the same man that Mr Xenophon failed to unseat in 2018. "I've got a lot of confidence in Vincent," Mr Pangallo said on Sunday of Mr Tarzia, who is now the Liberal leader. "I have known Vincent a long time and … he's dynamic, he's a family man. He holds all the values that I hold." Mr Tarzia was equally effusive in his praise of Mr Pangallo, who was this week revealed as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Waite, and will contest it at the 2026 state election. "Frank has got great strengths," Mr Tarzia said. "He knows how to get results." Mr Pangallo's arrival in the Liberal fold was hardly unexpected. It had, in fact, been anticipated for weeks, with Channel Seven — where Mr Pangallo worked as a journalist for more than 20 years — reporting in July that he was "considering joining the Liberals". His original path into parliament went via Today Tonight, where he gained a reputation for reporting on (among other things) crimes and cold cases. The seven-day search for the missing Beaumont children that was conducted at a former Adelaide factory site earlier this year, but failed to unearth any remains, was organised — at least in part — by Mr Pangallo. The rationale for the excavation was a hunch which he had promoted and pursued during his time at Channel Seven, but which was not vindicated by the subsequent search. "Unfortunately, we haven't turned anything up," Mr Pangallo said in March. "There is a tinge of disappointment in my voice … but at the same time I am gratified and satisfied that we gave this one hell of shot." While broadsheet enthusiasts don't always approve of the tabloid style, it would be difficult to deny (notwithstanding the outcome of the Beaumont dig) its popular appeal. On Sunday, Mr Pangallo was eager to emphasise the continuities between the worlds of prime-time current affairs and parliamentary advocacy. Styling himself as "the watchdog", and wearing a custom-made political T-shirt emblazoned with the image of a vigilant canine with its ears pricked up, Mr Pangallo quipped that he would be let "off the leash" in the lead-up to the 2026 poll. "My beliefs are grassroots — working for people and helping people. That's what I've done all my career," he said. "You can talk to any of my former colleagues in journalism and they'll tell you that." That approach may have its audience, but political analyst Rob Manwaring questioned whether it would be of benefit to the state opposition. "That watchdog role particularly resonates well for non-major parties," the Flinders University associate professor told the ABC on Sunday. "However, to say that you're going to be a watchdog within the Liberal Party actually undermines the message that they're a serious party to run office. "It says that, for the next term, they see themselves as performing a watchdog function rather than actually offering a new platform, an alternative platform to the Malinauskas government. "For me, it's probably the wrong framing." The electorate of Waite is currently represented by Catherine Hutchesson, who secured a swing of more than 11 per cent towards the ALP, in the two-party preferred vote, at the 2022 election. The first-term MP is the only candidate to have won the seat for Labor since it was created in the early 1990s — its three other victorious MPs were all elected as Liberals. But to describe Waite as traditionally "blue ribbon" would be to risk telling only part of the story. While Martin Hamilton-Smith, who held it from 1997 to 2018, and Sam Duluk, who then held it until 2022, both entered parliament as Liberals, they left it as independents. If elected, Mr Pangallo would, in a sense, buck that trend — he would hold the seat not as a Liberal-turned-independent, but as an independent-turned-Liberal. "It is unusual for an independent to join a major party," Dr Manwaring said of Mr Pangallo's move. "Generally speaking, people are in a major party and then become independents — and in fact, that's been a real trajectory with the Liberal Party." Government frontbencher Tom Koutsantonis seized on Mr Pangallo's candidacy as evidence of a "massive identity crisis" within Liberal ranks. "It's the type of move of a person who's coming to the end of their political career, who's just rolling the dice. It's not about Waite," he said. "No-one knows what they believe in and what they're going to do, and today's an example of that." News cameras at the announcement of Mr Pangallo's candidacy on Sunday captured a mood of confidence — at some points, Mr Pangallo and Mr Tarzia smiled, and at others they wore looks of determination and defiance. In seven months' time, these pictures will not have changed by a single pixel — but they may possess a completely different meaning in the aftermath of the March election. Outcomes alone will determine whether we look back on Mr Pangallo's move to the Liberals as a gamble that didn't pay off or an inspired piece of party politics.
ABC News
23-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Australian Navy's newest boats made in China
A new fleet of tug boats ordered for the Australian Navy by the Defence Department was secretly built at a Chinese shipyard under a $28 million contract awarded last year to a Dutch company. Certification documents uncovered by the ABC reveal the first of three "harbour tugs" was completed in late December at the Damen company's "state-of-the-art" Changde facility in Hunan province, before being delivered to Darwin earlier this year. In a letter sent from its Netherlands headquarters last year, Damen told the Defence Department the tug boat build "will be heavily reliant upon established supply chains both in Australia and overseas" but did not specify any work would occur in China. "Therefore, to maximise opportunities for competitive (local) industry, Damen will implement proven systems and processes established that will ensure value-for-money for the Commonwealth of Australia," the company wrote in December. Damen Shipyards Changde says its workkers have been producing vessels built to the highest standards at competitive price levels for more than 30 years. ( Damen ) According to the Damen correspondence, the second of its Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) 2111 tug boats was due to arrive in Australia by May this year, but the ABC has confirmed a third vessel will also be delivered before the end of 2025. " It is firmly understood that the Commonwealth of Australia needs a partner with this endeavour who has significant shipbuilding and sustainment experience and is willing to share knowledge, appropriate intellectual property and individual skills. " "The value of the Contract is approximately $28 million with an Australian contract expenditure percentage of 47% of the procurement of the 2 x ASD 2111 for the sustainment of the tugs over the life of type (est. 25 years)," the Damen letter states. In a statement Defence confirmed the tug boats are being built in China with a subsequent "fit out" occurring in Vietnam, but insisted they were not "Royal Australian Navy vessels, and will be operated and crewed by a civilian vessel operator". Nick Xenophon slams the decision to have new Army dress uniforms manufactured in China, despite Defence saying the option represents the "best value for money". A Department spokesperson told the ABC it is "retaining the option to crew the vessels in rare situations such as emergencies" and that similar tug boats have "provided harbour support to Defence for more than 10 years". Defence has declined to comment on if any possible Australian build options were examined, or whether the new 50-foot tug boats would be used to support visiting international warships. Responding to the revelations, the Opposition said Defence Minister Richard Marles had "serious questions to answer" including what he knew of the Chinese build and any security mitigations that might be needed. "Did Australia's Defence Minister give the green light for two Royal Australian Navy vessels to be built in a Chinese shipyard or was he not across his brief?", Opposition Defence spokesman Andrew Hastie demanded to know. " This is just another example of shocking mismanagement of Defence under the Albanese Government, and why Labor cannot be trusted with Australia's national security. " Mr Marles is yet to respond but in 2016 Labor heavily criticised the then Coalition government after the ABC revealed Last year, a Damen design was selected as the preferred option for the Australian Defence Force's new Landing Craft Heavy fleet, with eight of the vessels to be constructed in Western Australia by Austal.
