http://www.theage.com.au/news/invest...252546263.html
THE HOWARD Government's controversial decision to go against the advice of Australia's air force chiefs and buy 24 Super Hornet fighter jets is likely to be investigated by the Commonwealth Auditor-General.
Ian McPhee said he would consider examining the circumstances surrounding Defence Minister Brendan Nelson's decision to spend $6.6 billion on the Super Hornets. If he did investigate, it would be in the 2008-09 financial year.
In response to a request for an investigation from Opposition defence spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon, Mr McPhee said the Super Hornets were a major defence aquisition. If an investigation were held, it would focus on governance issues related to the decision to buy the jets.
Last November, Dr Nelson stunned RAAF chiefs when he told cabinet's National Security Committee that Australia needed to buy an interim fighter to ensure a "capability gap" did not emerge between the 2010 retirement of the F-111 fighter bomber and the 2013 arrival of the Joint Strike Fighter from the US.
Just weeks earlier, the nation's two most senior air chiefs said an interim aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet was not necessary.
Adding to the controversy was Dr Nelson's decision not to follow the Government's rigorous procurement protocols for large defence purchases.
Hmmmmm...
cheers