By Martin Hamilton-Smith*
In late 2014, Australia was engaged in a vigorous national debate about whether 12 new submarines should be imported directly from Japan in a ‘captain’s pick’ or built here after some form of tender process. In the heat of that campaign, I was invited as South Australia’s minister for defence industries to visit Rossi Boots, a footwear manufacturer in the west of Adelaide. Rossi was keen to do business with the defence and police organisations that had been importing footwear and kit from overseas.
