I'm not a Strategic defender. I don't really know too much about them; but how is it that the Government gives a contract to transport Australian Defence Force personnel to a foreign AOC holder?
Because it was made abuntantly clear in the tender that the primary criteria for selection was "value for money for the Australian taxpayer".
You could argue it either way, as it has been in the past many times in the past however the value for money argument was what was used by ADF to award the tender to who they did.