Fresh from a holiday in Korea there was an infuriating delay in Sydney getting off the aircraft – which is not unconnected with why Defence is a mess. Then one of the most extraordinary stories about the selective use of information and how it is that we are paying the US not $3 billion to join AUKUS – but in fact $4.7 billion. This huge difference has come about because Australian decision makers have been deceptive about which currency this payment will be made in. It turns out that it won’t be in Australian dollars but instead in US bills, leading to a necessary extra $1.7 billion which has been hidden from the Australian public. In addition we agree, surprisingly, with Alexander Downer that the idea of building nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide is pure fantasy.