Halliburton Takes Port Adelaide
The former global leader of Halliburton's infrastructure activities is now in control of shipbuilding in South Australia.

An expanded maritime site announce today is now owned by a corporation
controlled by ex-Halliburton/KBR chief Andrew Fletcher, who had been
recruited last November to "oversee" the warship project. Fletcher, while still in his Halliburton job, held a seat on the South Australian Economic Development Board

State Premier Mike Rann says that the newly announced shipbuilding facility,
which includes the Star Wars Ship construction, will make Adelaide a
"global hub".

A 2004 edition of Engineers Australia Magazine explains Fletcher's role two years ago:

Senior vice-president of US company KBR, with responsibilities for global infrastructure and the Asia Pacific region A civil engineer from Adelaide University, Andrew Fletcher was catapulted into his international position when KBR, the engineering and construction arm of US giant Halliburton, took over Australia’s
Kinhill Engineers in 1997.

The company now has about 3000 staff in
Australia.
One of Fletcher’s main tasks when he took over his current position was
to “forge a solid global team” from the regional groups in the
Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific including Australia.

The news of the expanded naval site has been released one day before its launching at an international expo in Sydney.

Our State premier has explained that "This new hub, into which the State Government is investing $140 million in infrastructure, will be capable of building other ships at the same time the air warfare destroyers are being built,"

He added that "There is now $55 billion worth of federal defence contracts up for grabs over the next 10 to 15 years."

State Treasurer Kevin Foley elaborated that the site would be suitable for companies involved in"in civil or
military shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance, metal fabrication
and module construction, paint and blast, warehousing and component
manufacturers and suppliers".

Under its new name of Techport Australia, the maritime construction
precinct will be marketed today at the Pacific Maritime and Naval Expo
in Sydney.

Techport Australia is owned by the Port Adelaide Maritime Corporation, which the Adelaide Advertiser says is "under the control of" the ex-Halliburton Chief. Fletcher told the newspaper that one of his aims was to "deliver a sustainable long-term defence industry base here at Osborne".

Fletcher's previous company was previously spearheaded by the former US Defense
Secretary and current US Vice President, Dick Cheney. The company
constructed and has part-ownership of the Adelaide to Darwin Railway.
It also a major naval shipbuilder in the UK, and a part-owner of that
country's Road Management Group

KBR has recently completed construction of the Port River Expressway that
links the port to the Northern Suburbs. Roadwork construction
improving links from the port to the Southern Suburbs will commence
next year.

Until last year Adelaide was the official global headquarters of Halliburton/ KBR's infrastructure division.

SA Defence Land Acquisition approved- Hill Halliburtonises South AustraliaAs he steps down as Defence Minister, Robert Hill is completing the militarisation of his home State of South Australia

MR Hill says that said he had written to the
leaseholders and local indigenous groups indicating his approval of the
acquisition of land near the Cultana training area, near Port Augusta.

The training centre, currently used by Army units for manoeuvre and
weapons training, will triple in size, making it one of Australia's
largest military training areas.

"This project will see an expanded range ready for use by 2009 and will
increase the Army's presence in regional South Australia, providing
significant economic benefits, particularly for Port Augusta and
Whyalla," .
"An expanded all-weather training range at Cultana will provide the
Australian Defence Force with a training area that can be used during
the northern Australian wet season and support future joint training
needs."

US and Australian troops wil utilise the Adelaide-Darwin Railway, which is 40% owned by Halliburton KBR for the next 50 years

"The planned expansion will increase the scope of combined arms
training for large mechanised formations, will allow for larger joint
live firing exercises, provide a larger area to manoeuvre the new
Abrams tanks as well as the new generation of Army assets such as the
new Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter and Australian Light Armoured vehicles."

Mr Hill's quotes courtesy of news.com.au

South Australian Senator In International Bribery Scandal

The beginning of the inquiry into possible corrupt practices by the Australian Wheat Board in Iraq will be notable in hindsight as the beginning of Alexander Downer's demise as Australian Foreign Minister..

Senator for South Australian and Foreign Affairs Minister Downer was recently touted to head the International Atomic Energy Agency. His department is now known to have held knowldedge iof Australian bribes paid to the regime of Saddam Hussein.

In 1996 Downer represented the Australian Government in announcing Australian Wheat being involved in the Iraqi Oil-For-Food Program

A year Mr Downer, via former Liberal Party leader Andrew Peacock, was introduced to the then Governor of Texas. According to The Bulletin's Tony Wright, the words of the "thank you letter" hung in Downer's Adelaide office for many years:

Australia is a very important
ally of the United States, and should I ever be in the position to
reconfirm that alliance, I look forward to doing so. I hope to see you
again. Respectfully yours, George W. Bush.

Mr Downer has assisted US Foreign Policy by goading the Koreans and reintroducing Australia to fear of missile warface and and was a major proponent of the Australia/US Free Trade Agreement.

Mr Downer, having previously announced Condileeza Rice's visit to Adelaide, also announced the visit's cancellation, claiming that the visit was marred by plans by "Leftists" to protest the event.

In spite of the six million dollars a year Australian gives to the IAEA budget and all of US President Bush's pushing, the Senator for South Australia failed to gain the posting of chair of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

When the US Wheat Board banned imports of Australian wheat Mr Downer initiated diplomat dialogue that saw the decision reversed. when you protested the US banning of our wheat, available to you any more?

According to The Age, AWB witnesses at last year's inquiry into the Oil For Food deliberately mislead the United Nation's investigation. Given that the former chief of the AWB has stated awareness that several of his officials "went to Canberra to talk to DFAT" isn't anyone in the position of Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs in the centre of a cyclone of ethical breaches?

Four months ago Mr Downer was representing Australia to the United Nations. The UN is due to receive a new Australian ambassador with the strongly-tipped imminent appointment as Australian Ambassodor to the United Nations of Federal Defence Minister Robert Hill

ADELAIDE DEFENCE CONTRACTORS IN
US "SMALL BUSINESS" SCAM PROBE

US Defence Corporations are disguising themselves to manipulate US Legislation, according to a US Survey.

Defense Industry Daily reports that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has ordered the U.S. Small Business Administration (USSBA) to release to the American Small Business League (ASBL) a draft report on the awarding of government contracts. The SBA report describes how large companies are improperly winning contracts in the Federal government's $60-plus billion small business contracting program.

The Small Business Act of 1953 directs that at least 23% of federal government prime contracts go to small business, but a host of abuses and loopholes have allowed large companies to pick up contracts in this category. The SBA released an edited version of the report on December 28, 2004, acknowledging that small business contracts had gone to such "small businesses" as Raytheon Co., BAE Systems, Northrop Grumann Corp., Carlyle Group, Electronic Data Systems Corp., Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., and Buhrmann NV.

Raytheon, BAE, Northrop Grunman and Carlyle are involved in South Australian based Missile Shield and Unmanned Air Vehicle Projects. EDS has a major headquarters in Adelaide.