Once again, the ABC swerves away from the difficult issues to deliver news slop. When Penny Wong delivers what would easily be described as the most disingenuous line in the Senate this year, the ABC is mute. Searching on "senator wong non-lethal weapons parts" in ABC News gives no results.
Fortunately, SBS interviewed Senator David Shoebridge who clearly articulated Wong's double-speak.
Shoebridge:
"Recently leaked flight manifests reported in Declassified Australia have shown that the Royal Australian Air Force earlier this month facilitated the transfer of F-35 fighter parts to Israel, fighter jet parts to Israel. Will you, Minister, stop this from happening again?"
Wong:
"Senator, I again say to you, I have said in this place and so has the Prime Minister in the other place, we are not supplying weapons or ammunition to Israel. We have not done so since the Hamas-Israel conflict began and for at least the past five years. As part of the global F-35 supply chain, we contribute components and parts that are non-lethal in nature."
Let's imagine that we have a country supplying weapons to Russia. They are tanks.
Under Wong's non-lethal definition, a whole tank can be supplied including all these 'non-lethal' parts:
Hull (armoured body)
Tracks and road wheels
Suspension system
Engine and transmission
Fuel tanks and fuel system
Driver’s controls (steering levers, pedals, gearshift)
Turret shell and turret ring
Gun barrel
Fire control system (rangefinders, targeting computers, sensors)
Communications equipment (radios, intercoms)
Electrical wiring and power distribution units
Hydraulic systems (for gun and turret movement)
Cooling systems
Hatches and periscopes
Crew seats and internal fittings
Camouflage netting and external stowage racks
Lights and indicators
Air filtration and NBC protection systems
Track guards and fenders
Tool kits and maintenance equipment
Of course, when you combine these parts they are, unmistakably, a tank. In fact, not even ammunition can be classed as lethal, since only the projectile kills. Cartridge case (brass, steel, or polymer casing holding all components together), primer (small ignition device that initiates the propellant burn) and propellant (gunpowder or modern smokeless powder) are non-lethal.
Wong's assertion simply defies any sense of rationality or accountability. Wong demonstrates that she and the government are happy to play word games in order to avoid any culpability.
Speaking with a forked tongue
Wong gives us a textbook example of disingenuity
Wong:
"As part of the global F-35 supply chain, we contribute components and parts that are non-lethal in nature."