Interesting discussion, may I add some thoughts here. Could it be that the various White papers have failed to adress the issue of supportable air defence. I'm not talking about Tankers or such, but bases. We have a very limited number of suitable launch platforms (land or sea) from which to deploy our air defences. The aircraft we seem to be purchasing require long, well developed air bases with enourmous logistical support functions to make it all possible. These bases in turn require enourmous defence and support just to keep a place to land. In a land such as we have, under any serious attack, our launch platforms would be taken out in a matter of let say, 1 hour. Now, fancy hig performance jets are not much use if you don't have somewhere to launch them from. Might I suggest we have missed out here. What we really need is a two fold approach and flexible launch platforms. Long Range strike aircraft to operate from say Southern bases, with tankering to provide a full strike response to any 'threat' that might develop via sea. That is to say a conventional Carrier projection of force into the region. This presumes the threat comes from the North of course, and any battle study will show many have been won by the elemnt of surprise, so we should not discount such a threat coming in from the South. That said.
I suggest that any serious analyst should put forward vertical take-off aircraft capability, with highly mobile defence support networks for spares, armament, crew etc.... These could operate from the vast interior of Australia, undected and without the limitation of having to defend a major airbase set up. Yes you might take out individual elements, but the network of fighters/ground attack aircraft would continue to deploy and be able to harrass any enemy in a gurilla style war. Very difficult to hit an enemy which keeps moving. These aircraft could take off from roads, hard stands etc... or even very short runways (roads hardened to take aircraft weights) such as done in many euro countries. Hmmm is there a lesson there for us/???
This two fold air defence network would ensure that a significant layered defence were in place. Whilst stores such as Amunition, spares etc... could be housed in underground storage facilities through the interior, Fuel would be trucked, flown (Chinook and C130), via a much less tangible network of roads and rail more difficult to interupt. As long as you can place an air defence of any discription 'up', the enemy will resist puting ground troups on the ground to be decimated.
Just a view I hope will generate further polite discussion.
cheers