Search

Joint media release Minister for Defence, The Hon Christopher Pyne MP Minister for Finance and the Public Service, Senator The Hon Mathias Cormann In a momentous day for Australia’s national shipbuilding endeavor, construction has commenced on the Navy’s new Offshore Patrol Vessels at Osborne in South Australia. The Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, said the multi-billion dollar project will see 12 OPVs delivered.

An expert in the science behind the Australian Defence Force’s command and control systems has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to Defence, winning the 2021 Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science. Dr Alex Kalloniatis, a senior Operations Analyst with the Department of Defence, was awarded the honour by Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price. “Dr Kalloniatis is a standard bearer for outstanding scientific leadership,” Minister Price said.

Joint media release Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price   Over 100 companies in Australia have applied to Naval Group to manufacture 23 specialised items of submarine equipment for the Morrison Government’s Attack Class Submarine Program. This follows the call for expressions of interest from Australian industry for hundreds of millions of dollars in work packages for the program.

Naval Ship Management will partner with the Australian Defence Force to sustain and support Landing Helicopter Docks (LHD) and LHD Landing Crafts (LLCs) over the long term under a historic new agreement. Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP congratulates Naval Ship Management, an existing joint venture between UGL and Babcock, on being selected to sustain and support this strategically important capability over fifteen years, from July 2019.

The Government has approved the acquisition of eight P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. These state-of-the-art aircraft will dramatically boost Australia’s ability to monitor its maritime approaches and patrol over 2.5 million square kilometres of our marine jurisdiction – an area equating to nearly 4 per cent of the world’s oceans. The first aircraft will be delivered in 2017, with all eight aircraft fully operational by 2021. The Government has also approved an option for a further four aircraft subject to the outcomes of the Defence White Paper review.

The next generation of Maritime Patrol and Response aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, has reached another milestone, with the contract providing the next four years of sustainment support being signed. This agreement, signed between the Department of Defence and Boeing Defence Australia will support Australian defence industry and create more than 35 jobs in South Australia.

Minister for Defence Industry, The Hon Christopher Pyne MPMinister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, and the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today announced the handover of the P-8A Poseidon simulator and training systems at RAAF Base Edinburgh.

Minister for Defence Industry, The Hon Christopher Pyne MPMinister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, and the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today announced the handover of the P-8A Poseidon simulator and training systems at RAAF Base Edinburgh. Minister Payne said the advanced P-8A Training System would better prepare Australian Defence Force pilots and maintenance crews for their demanding roles.

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land, the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.  I also pay my respects to all our serving personnel, those that have served and the families who support them. Distinguished guests,  A special thank you to my friend and state colleague Paul for your remarks. 

Another milestone has been reached in Australia’s continuous naval shipbuilding program with a ceremonial keel laying for the first new Pacific Patrol Boat. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today attended the event at Austal’s dedicated Pacific Patrol Boat construction facility at Naval Base in Western Australia. Austal advises the $306 million project will create more than 200 direct jobs and employ around 300 in the supply chain.

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne will visit the Kingdom of Tonga and Solomon Islands on 13 and 14 June 2018.   Minister Payne’s visit to Tonga and Solomon Islands coincides with a period of high engagement with Australia’s Pacific partners through Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18).  

Joint media release: Assistant Defence Minister & Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Alex Hawke MP Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Melissa Price MP Australia is stepping up in the Pacific and continuing to deepen our engagement with our regional partners during COVID-19 with the handover of a new Guardian-class Patrol Boat to the Republic of Palau.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, the Honourable Darren Chester MP, today announced that the position of Chair of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal is being advertised. “The appointment of the current Chair of the Tribunal is set to become vacant in September, and as this is a statutory appointment, the position will be advertised in accordance with Government policy,” Mr Chester said. 

SUBJECTS: Visit to Republic of Korea; Indo-Pacific; Australia-China relationship. MODERATOR: I’d like to invite our speakers to make a brief initial remark on how they view the current state of international affairs in this region, the Indo-Pacific? Deputy Prime Minister Marles, the microphone is yours.

Joint media release Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne   Australia thanks Papua New Guinea for its support to Australia’s emergency bushfire response through the provision of military personnel from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF). Around 80 military engineers, as well as a command and liaison element from the PNGDF arrived in Australia today.

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, yesterday announced approval of a $495 million investment in two projects for new facilities at the Larrakeyah Defence Precinct, Northern Territory. The first project, a $223 million base redevelopment, will address the upgrade of critical in-ground infrastructure, support on-base growth over the next 25 years, and improve the working environment for Defence personnel.

I join the fine words of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Many of us in this place 20 years ago remember vividly the debate that took place; the presentation given by Prime Minister Howard after having been in the United States at the time of the strike against America, with those planes going into the World Trade Centre.

A $71.8 million project to support the relocation of the Army’s 17th Construction Squadron to RAAF Base Amberley has been approved by Parliament. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester, said the 17th Construction Squadron Relocation Infrastructure Project would provide new working accommodation, vehicle shelters, quartermaster stores and workshops, as well as a new Fire Training Area for the RAAF Fire Services.

Defence has awarded a multi-million dollar contract to upgrade facilities at two Darwin bases in preparation for the 2014 rotation of US Marines. Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Darren Chester today announced that Sitzler Pty Ltd has been awarded the $11 million contract to construct new facilities at Robertson Barracks and RAAF Darwin to support the deployment. “While the US Marines will mostly use existing Defence facilities, as they have in previous rotations, some modest facilities works are required to meet additional requirements,” Mr Chester said.

Defence demolished the Omega communication tower on the former Naval Transmission Site at Darriman, Victoria, on 22 April 2015. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence and local member for Gippsland the Hon Darren Chester MP said that the demolition was completed successfully and without incident. “Our primary concern was to make sure that the demolition was conducted safely, and I am pleased to say that we have achieved this goal,” Mr Chester said.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester has attended the International Defence Industry Fair held in Istanbul, Turkey this week. Mr Chester led a delegation of eight Australian defence companies, which Mr Chester said had been brought together by the Department of Defence as Team Defence Australia. “The International Defence Fair provides an excellent opportunity for Australian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and to promote our defence capability solutions to global customers,” Mr Chester said.

Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Darren Chester MP today visited the Australian Army’s 1st Brigade at Robertson Barracks, Darwin.  Mr Chester began the visit with an overview of the Brigade Headquarters, before extensively touring Robertson Barracks and meeting some of the officers and soldiers of the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment as well as patients and medical staff of the Robertson Health Centre.

Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Darren Chester MP today attended the Remembrance Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial to pause in silence and honour the brave Australians who have served in our name, for their country. “It has been a privilege to be able to pay my respects at the nation’s War Memorial. At 11 am on 11 November we all observed one minute’s silence in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts, and reflect on the sacrifice of the 102,000 men and women whose names appear on the Roll of Honour,” Mr Chester said.

Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, the Hon Darren Chester MP, made his first visit to the Headquarters Northern Command and HMAS Coonawarra today, where he met with personnel and toured the Navy’s most northerly base. After an invigorating physical training session with personnel from AWARE One, Mr Chester toured one of Navy’s 14 Armidale Class Patrol Boats and spent time speaking with personnel about the challenges of implementing the Government’s border protection policy.

A $707.9 million project to upgrade facilities at RAAF Bases Edinburgh (SA), Darwin (NT), Pearce (WA) and Townsville (Qld), and HMAS Stirling (WA) ahead of the arrival of new maritime patrol aircraft has been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence Darren Chester announced today. Mr Chester said the Facilities Requirement for the Maritime Patrol Aircraft Replacement Project supported the acquisition of eight P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

Australian Defence Force personnel will go ‘on operations’ in Parliament House this week as part of the ADF Parliamentary Program (ADFPP) Exchange. Seventeen personnel from all three services and varying ranks will have the opportunity to experience the daily process of decision-making faced by Senators and Members.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester and the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, AO today presented the Australian Air Force Cadets with their newest self-launching glider at the Australian International Airshow 2015, at Avalon. “The new gliders are a great initiative which will help expose Air Force cadets to aviation training and flying skills,” Mr Chester said.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester, today announced that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has commenced training aircrew and support staff on United States Air Force (USAF) MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) operations in the United States. Mr Chester said that the training program provides a cost effective method to increase the ADF’s understanding of complex UAS operations and how this capability can be best used to protect Australian troops on future operations.

The integration of air power across the Australian Defence Force will provide Australia with new possibilities in the future, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence Darren Chester said today in Melbourne. Speaking at the Chief of Air Force Symposium, Mr Chester spoke about the possibilities of air power. “Air power can provide fast, responsive options for Government,” Mr Chester said.

Mr Mark Sullivan has been appointed as the Chair of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester, announced today. “Mr Sullivan is well known and well respected throughout the veterans’ community and brings extensive experience to the role of Chair of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal,” Mr Chester said.