Labor is accusing the incoming chair of a powerful committee of Federal Parliament of "extreme right wing" views that should disqualify him from the job.

• Understood that Liberal backbencher Andrew Nikolic to be installed as chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee
• He has frequently called for tougher counter terrorism laws, and is regarded as close political ally to Tony Abbott
• Mark Dreyfus is accusing Malcolm Turnbull of "pandering" to Mr Abbott's supporters

Bipartisanship on national security could be shattered if the Government proceeds with plans to install Liberal backbencher Andrew Nikolic to chair the Joint Intelligence Committee, Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told AM.

"Bipartisanship is put at risk by Mr Nikolic, who has made his political career out of being a highly partisan, highly aggressive battler for extreme right wing views," he said.

The ABC understands Mr Nikolic has been anointed as the committee's new chair and that it will meet this morning to formalise the appointment.

Mr Nikolic served for 31 years in the Army before entering Parliament, including as an officer in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He is also regarded as a close political ally of former prime minister Tony Abbott.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/andrew-nikolic-accused-of-'extreme'-views-by-labor/7197954

The new chair of Federal Parliament's intelligence committee has reversed his position on whether the Government needs 12 new submarines, and now supports it.

In 2009 Andrew Nikolic said the figure of 12 submarines was an "unscientific invention" of the Rudd government's 2009 Defence White Paper.

But on Thursday the Coalition confirmed its commitment to 12 subs in its white paper.

Mr Nikolic said he now supported the commitment because it had been properly assessed.

"The way Kevin Rudd went about it was very disaggregated, we might say," he said.

"It's a bit like the back of the envelope calculations for the NBN. The difference here is that we've done an appropriate strategic assessment."

The issue has been a hot political topic in South Australia, with voters wanting 12 submarines to be built to secure jobs.

Mr Nikolic said the Government's commitment was not about winning votes in the state.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/nikolic-reverses-position-on-'unscientific'-12-submarines-plan/7201546

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Mr Andrew Nikolic, stop bullshitting us. The new ADF "white paper" has been using a much "restaurant napkins" as the Rudd/Gillard governments used "backs of envelopes". Your views are completely, and I MEAN COMPLETELY, stained (STAINED) by your politics. 

On this, is the "need of 12 submarines" based on a peacetime deterrence effect where 4.3 submarines or a pack of 45 nasty guard dogs trained to swim in all conditions could do the job — or a full blown out war situation, in which one could be in need of about 55.6 submarines, which could be as useless as 657 nasty guard dogs?