British Prince Harry arrives in Australia to serve in army

[Si Thea01]

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

I thought it was the poms who were the whingers? This is good PR for the Austrian forces and will probably be good for recruitment. Stop moaning.

You have to understand where Chooka comes from. Victoria, home of the whingers. No matter what you give them, they will moan and never have a good thing to say about anyone.

We are the envy of the entire country, the garden state, restaurant capital, melb cup, motor G.P, Australian Open, Grand prix, AFL grand final which comes with a public holiday, best surf beaches and the list goes on and on. We are a happy lot in the former capital of Australia.

Chooka, you are truly amazing, You do have some good bones in your body and can post happiness when you are bantered into it. You know it's only us New South Welshmen having a go at you Mexicans. Melbourne was only the temporary capital, check your history, it was so whilst the capital, Canberra, was being built, so no real claim to fame.. All the rest, with the exception of the beaches and restaurants, you are spot on but I don't think that makes us envious of you. Wait till we pinch a few but you can keep your aerial ping pong..

[geriatrickid]

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

So you're telling me that in your final year of service you stopped attending or partaking in any training or seminars? You were so righteous that you didn't want to waste taxpayers money that could have been used for new officers? If so, I salute you sir. BTW 10 years is not exactly a 'short stint' in any career.

This is nothing more than a royal PR stunt underwritten by the government les by our bunyip aristocratic loving pro monarchist PM.

Not denying Harry's commitment and service, but being in oz in this capacity and what he represents is archaic.

Then I suggest you recall the Australian military personnel serving in the Canadian and UK armed forces as there are a large number who are on exchange. You are probably unaware of just how extensive the deployment of Australians to the US, UK and Canadian militaries (and vice versa) is.

Don't believe me? Here's an example: http://news.defence.gov.au/stories/2015/02/combined-task-force-150-overall-story/

You are not alone in not appreciating the extensive integration. Most Americans are not even aware of the presence of a permanent RN officer onboard some of their ships or that the deputy commanding officer of he US Army III corps has been a Canadian general for many years with several other deputy commanding positions of US forces held by Canadian military officers. The Australians have been providing naval officers to the RCN and RN for some time. In Canada alone there are hundreds of exchanges with the Australian military over any given period.

There are two valid reasons for the exchange:

- Harry is most likely going to be in the military or a military role for some time. As a veteran of active service during 2 deployments in Afghanistan, he will be serving with Australian veterans of Afghanistan and engaged in training members of specialized units, passing on his own experience and knowledge. This in itself is not unusual as multiple Australians are in the Canadian and US forces doing the same. He will also be serving with the aboriginal infantry regiment (NORFORCE). Parts of Australia's outback where the regiment is deployed has terrain similar to Afghanistan. His presence is a morale booster to regiment that is sometimes neglected, He wanted the assignment as it offered him something in line with his working in difficult places.

- There are a number of important commemorative events on the calendar, and having someone on hand to represent the UK, is an effective way of sending a message to Australians that the sacrifice of efforts of Australia was/is appreciated.

It is not as if the guy sits around picking his nose doing nothing. He earns his pay. Apparently he turned down a Canadian deployment in favour of Australia, so it seems he really wants to go to Australia.

[chooka]

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

So you're telling me that in your final year of service you stopped attending or partaking in any training or seminars? You were so righteous that you didn't want to waste taxpayers money that could have been used for new officers? If so, I salute you sir. BTW 10 years is not exactly a 'short stint' in any career.

This is nothing more than a royal PR stunt underwritten by the government les by our bunyip aristocratic loving pro monarchist PM.

Not denying Harry's commitment and service, but being in oz in this capacity and what he represents is archaic.

Then I suggest you recall the Australian military personnel serving in the Canadian and UK armed forces as there are a large number who are on exchange. You are probably unaware of just how extensive the deployment of Australians to the US, UK and Canadian militaries (and vice versa) is.

Don't believe me? Here's an example: http://news.defence.gov.au/stories/2015/02/combined-task-force-150-overall-story/

You are not alone in not appreciating the extensive integration. Most Americans are not even aware of the presence of a permanent RN officer onboard some of their ships or that the deputy commanding officer of he US Army III corps has been a Canadian general for many years with several other deputy commanding positions of US forces held by Canadian military officers. The Australians have been providing naval officers to the RCN and RN for some time. In Canada alone there are hundreds of exchanges with the Australian military over any given period.

There are two valid reasons for the exchange:

- Harry is most likely going to be in the military or a military role for some time. As a veteran of active service during 2 deployments in Afghanistan, he will be serving with Australian veterans of Afghanistan and engaged in training members of specialized units, passing on his own experience and knowledge. This in itself is not unusual as multiple Australians are in the Canadian and US forces doing the same. He will also be serving with the aboriginal infantry regiment (NORFORCE). Parts of Australia's outback where the regiment is deployed has terrain similar to Afghanistan. His presence is a morale booster to regiment that is sometimes neglected, He wanted the assignment as it offered him something in line with his working in difficult places.

- There are a number of important commemorative events on the calendar, and having someone on hand to represent the UK, is an effective way of sending a message to Australians that the sacrifice of efforts of Australia was/is appreciated.

It is not as if the guy sits around picking his nose doing nothing. He earns his pay. Apparently he turned down a Canadian deployment in favour of Australia, so it seems he really wants to go to Australia.

Actually Harry isn't going to be in the military for some time. He has already announced his retirement in 4 weeks when this junket is over. Yes there are many military personnel on exchange programs and these are generally those that intend to soldier on and not those that have submitted thier discharge papers.

[Tep]

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

So you're telling me that in your final year of service you stopped attending or partaking in any training or seminars? You were so righteous that you didn't want to waste taxpayers money that could have been used for new officers? If so, I salute you sir. BTW 10 years is not exactly a 'short stint' in any career.

This is nothing more than a royal PR stunt underwritten by the government les by our bunyip aristocratic loving pro monarchist PM.

Not denying Harry's commitment and service, but being in oz in this capacity and what he represents is archaic.

Then I suggest you recall the Australian military personnel serving in the Canadian and UK armed forces as there are a large number who are on exchange. You are probably unaware of just how extensive the deployment of Australians to the US, UK and Canadian militaries (and vice versa) is.

Don't believe me? Here's an example: http://news.defence.gov.au/stories/2015/02/combined-task-force-150-overall-story/

You are not alone in not appreciating the extensive integration. Most Americans are not even aware of the presence of a permanent RN officer onboard some of their ships or that the deputy commanding officer of he US Army III corps has been a Canadian general for many years with several other deputy commanding positions of US forces held by Canadian military officers. The Australians have been providing naval officers to the RCN and RN for some time. In Canada alone there are hundreds of exchanges with the Australian military over any given period.

There are two valid reasons for the exchange:

- Harry is most likely going to be in the military or a military role for some time. As a veteran of active service during 2 deployments in Afghanistan, he will be serving with Australian veterans of Afghanistan and engaged in training members of specialized units, passing on his own experience and knowledge. This in itself is not unusual as multiple Australians are in the Canadian and US forces doing the same. He will also be serving with the aboriginal infantry regiment (NORFORCE). Parts of Australia's outback where the regiment is deployed has terrain similar to Afghanistan. His presence is a morale booster to regiment that is sometimes neglected, He wanted the assignment as it offered him something in line with his working in difficult places.

- There are a number of important commemorative events on the calendar, and having someone on hand to represent the UK, is an effective way of sending a message to Australians that the sacrifice of efforts of Australia was/is appreciated.

It is not as if the guy sits around picking his nose doing nothing. He earns his pay. Apparently he turned down a Canadian deployment in favour of Australia, so it seems he really wants to go to Australia.

Happy for the Brits to keep tugging their forelocks to the rich immigrant family. Also happy for the military services to do what they do in terms of monitoring their allies. Actually one of my most memorable experiences was staying for a while with a family friend who was an Australian officer on exchange to Fort Eustace in the US in my time living and working in the US after University. Fort Eustace is the US Army Transportation HQ so does logistics for the Army. This was 1981 so the officers mess was full of helicopter pilots reminiscing about Vietnam. Located right on the Chesapeake. Most Australians are actually aware of Australian military cooperation with Australians serving in Malaysia at Butterworth, US facilities in Australia (listening posts) and the long tradition of cooperation with the UK armed services.

All very worthy, but I agree with Samran's political interpretation. Abbot is the protege of former PM Howard. Both of their visions are anachronistic to modern Australia. They are the visions of Australia in the 50's with regional security guaranteed by the Americans and culture and trade focused on the UK and Europe. The whole Royals thing is part of this.

Captain Wales seems to have his head on fairly well from what I've seen. Good luck to him. Hope he gets something out of his experience in Australia and vice versa. But there is no place in Australia for HRH Prince Harry in any ceremonial or official role. Time we did away with that nonsense. You keep them in the UK to house sit the palaces and generate tourism. Abbot won't be around long enough and will soon get the message that he is wrong for Australia's future on so many counts.

[GentlemanJim]

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

Don't be a hater. A lot of people join the military for only one tour but they still get trained up.

Not a hater and have respect for him as a serviceman. I respect all servicemen and women of all nations, they serve thier countries with great pride. I salute Capt Harry and I served myself and stood proud to be a digger. That has nothing to do with my post where I said the money being spent on his training after he has given his resignation would have been better spent on another officer who is soldiering on for his country.

Like the money spent on you during your last months for resettlement - 'prep' for civvie street, all tax payers money for courses and all the rest, you know what is on offer and how much people can screw out of the system - all at the tax payers expense. Doesn't sound like Harry is doing that does it. So there is the money saved. if you honestly believe that out of our tax payers purse or the Australian annual military budget sending Harry to work with the Australian Army for a month is going to deprive a potential Australian officer of training then when you left the military you did so without a clue. It must be a slow news day when people bitch and moan about nothing at all.

[GentlemanJim]

The 30-year-old veteran of two tours in Afghanistan ...

Oh, the Americans do have a fascination with the Royals. I vividly remember Harry's last visit to Las Vegas. And if they have problems they can always seek refuge in Canada.

Yes, they should add his tour in Las Vegas to his resume ... and so much more. At least he's not wearing the uniform he had with the Nazi insignia.

I guess you never screwed up at all when you were 18 then did you, and as it was at a private house party supposedly with close friends i expect he never thought some weasel would take a photo. Bringing up an 11 year old story on this thread is just intentinal s**t stirring.

[Radar501]

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

I thought it was the poms who were the whingers? This is good PR for the Austrian forces and will probably be good for recruitment. Stop moaning.

Crikey!!!! Do we have to go explain this again?

The name Australia is derived from the Latin auster (= south). Since ancient Roman times people were looking for the legendary "terra australis incognita" – the "unknown land of the south".

On the other hand we have Austria, which also sounds like a Latin word, but originates from the Old High German word Ostarrichi – the "eastern march", first mentioned in 996.

[7by7]

As a Pom, maybe I should keep out of this; but it seems that republican support in Australia is waning: ABC's 2013 Vote Compass: Do Australians support the monarchy?

Support for a republic appears to have waned since the 1999 referendum on the issue, with only 38 per cent of Vote Compass respondents in favour of cutting Australia's ties to the monarchy.

In 1999, 45 per cent of referendum voters backed a move to a republic.

[samran]

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

So you're telling me that in your final year of service you stopped attending or partaking in any training or seminars? You were so righteous that you didn't want to waste taxpayers money that could have been used for new officers? If so, I salute you sir. BTW 10 years is not exactly a 'short stint' in any career.

This is nothing more than a royal PR stunt underwritten by the government les by our bunyip aristocratic loving pro monarchist PM.

Not denying Harry's commitment and service, but being in oz in this capacity and what he represents is archaic.

Then I suggest you recall the Australian military personnel serving in the Canadian and UK armed forces as there are a large number who are on exchange. You are probably unaware of just how extensive the deployment of Australians to the US, UK and Canadian militaries (and vice versa) is.

Don't believe me? Here's an example: http://news.defence.gov.au/stories/2015/02/combined-task-force-150-overall-story/

You are not alone in not appreciating the extensive integration. Most Americans are not even aware of the presence of a permanent RN officer onboard some of their ships or that the deputy commanding officer of he US Army III corps has been a Canadian general for many years with several other deputy commanding positions of US forces held by Canadian military officers. The Australians have been providing naval officers to the RCN and RN for some time. In Canada alone there are hundreds of exchanges with the Australian military over any given period.

There are two valid reasons for the exchange:

- Harry is most likely going to be in the military or a military role for some time. As a veteran of active service during 2 deployments in Afghanistan, he will be serving with Australian veterans of Afghanistan and engaged in training members of specialized units, passing on his own experience and knowledge. This in itself is not unusual as multiple Australians are in the Canadian and US forces doing the same. He will also be serving with the aboriginal infantry regiment (NORFORCE). Parts of Australia's outback where the regiment is deployed has terrain similar to Afghanistan. His presence is a morale booster to regiment that is sometimes neglected, He wanted the assignment as it offered him something in line with his working in difficult places.

- There are a number of important commemorative events on the calendar, and having someone on hand to represent the UK, is an effective way of sending a message to Australians that the sacrifice of efforts of Australia was/is appreciated.

It is not as if the guy sits around picking his nose doing nothing. He earns his pay. Apparently he turned down a Canadian deployment in favour of Australia, so it seems he really wants to go to Australia.

Actually, I don't disagree with much of you say. You've just mis interpreted my post.

I'm all for military exchanges, especially between the armies you mention. That and the Five Eyes intelligence network amongst other things are important instructional frameworks which must be kept in the defense realm. I have no problem with it at all. Nor do I doubt that Harry will do his best while here.

My comment was this wreaks of pro monarch politics from the australian side (abbott would have creamed his trousers when this came across his desk) and from the royal side this is excellent PR. There is a reason they are called 'the firm'.

[Si Thea01]

As a Pom, maybe I should keep out of this; but it seems that republican support in Australia is waning: ABC's 2013 Vote Compass: Do Australians support the monarchy?

Support for a republic appears to have waned since the 1999 referendum on the issue, with only 38 per cent of Vote Compass respondents in favour of cutting Australia's ties to the monarchy.

In 1999, 45 per cent of referendum voters backed a move to a republic.

I am an Aussie and have no problems with a Pom, (just in this instance) giving the Republicans a serve. They always want to bring their sorry needs into the public forum, especially around Australia Day, or when other matters involving the Royals, arise. Yes, those in favour are diminishing, and this has come about mainly through the decency of the Queen and her two grandsons. You will always get those who disapprove for whatever reason, and that's their prerogative but then there are those of us who approve, and that's our prerogative.

I have the utmost respect for the Queen, Prince Edward and that rascal, Prince Harry but some of the other Royals leave a lot to be desired. I don't know much about Prince Phillip, sometimes he seems to get things right, then other times he clearly suffers from foot and mouth disease. Putting the foot into one's mouth seems a prerequisite for some Royals and that includes Prince Charles.