The Australian government’s failure to support local manufacturing has been exposed by foreign- made Defence Force uniforms falling apart at the seams, says member for Indi Sophie Mirabella.
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The uniforms have been reportedly ripping around the crotch area, catching some soldiers with their pants down.
About 5000 of the garments were bought from a US manufacturer to outfit all Australian Diggers serving in Afghanistan, at a cost of $2 million.
The same company was awarded a $7.8 million contract for the intellectual property rights to the uniform design and also to develop new camouflage colours for the Australian Army Combat garb.
Ms Mirabella said sending the manufacture of the uniforms overseas was much more than just unpatriotic.
She said if the government had trusted local businesses it could have saved money, and ended up with a superior product.
“I believe it could have been done cheaper and better quality in Australia,” she said.
“There’s never been a problem with Australian- made.
“We’ve got to actually have a genuine commitment to support manufacturing and be fair about it.”
The problem in the uniform is believed to be begin at the trouser seam where stretch fabric is stitched to non-stretch fabric.
Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare has ordered new replacement uniforms as well as patch kits for short-term repairs.
Mrs Mirabella said it was not acceptable to write-off the glitch as a teething issue.
“It’s a pretty big problem that should not be happening in this day and age,” she said.
“It’s a real frustration that there’s the capability to do it here, not just better quality but also cheaper.”
The shadow minister for innovation, industry and science said the problem with sending important military contracts offshore is that the government cannot easily enforce quality control standards.
