The Liberal Govt ordered the Seasprites in 1997. I am not a staunch supporter of either party, but this is a Howard/Liberal created mess
Not strickly true. They were originally a Labor initiative under Keating that were meant for a new class of Patrol Boat to be built with Malaysia who backed out of the boat project - and left the Seasprites without a platform. The negotiations for the Seasprites continued and the Howard government, who came to power in 1996, signed the contract in 1997. The only question is, without a platform why did Keating continue negotiations and the contract go ahead under Howard with the change in government?