If the things I'm hearing are true, then I'd agree. England might be a weak ODI side, but Australia don't appear to be getting stronger.
If Ponting is going to miss some of the ODIs then the initial XI is likely to be
Shane Watson
Tim Paine (wk)
Michael Clarke (c)
Michael Hussey
Callum Ferguson
Cameron White
James Hopes
Mitchell Johnson
Brett Lee
Nathan Hauritz
Nathan Bracken
Haddin is all but ruled out of the series due to that broken finger and Syl's concerns about a lack of youth are possibly unfounded. There are one or two too many young names; albeit, not excessively young; in that side for my liking.
A lot of pundits are sick of Cameron White, but he's still only days from 26, younger than Hilfenhaus. Siddle and Ferguson are 24, while the wicketkeeper Paine, who admittedly might not pass for 18 without ID, is also 24.
From what I've seen, Bracken is circling the drain even faster than Stuart Clark, but he's also likely to be preferred over Siddle and Hilfenhaus. Siddle to me seems like the more ideal ODI player, able to generate extra pace and coax mishits, but Hilfy might be a very good option if used exclusively as a new ball bowler. It might fall to Lee to become an exclusively old ball bowler, as death bowling needs a cool head.
Even the lone specialist spinner might not get the first gig, as the slightest hint of a pitch having anything in it for pacemen means the selectors will pick half a dozen seam bowlers.
The questions are mostly in the batting. That's generally the area where teams have an advantage over England and if they get into the habit of losing wickets, it will be a lost advantage. Players like Watson, Clarke and Hussey will need to be the heroes, but players like Paine, Ferguson and White will need to prove themeselves by batting sensibly rather than trying to grab a headline.
