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The Australian Army’s Future Ready Training is set to receive a boost, with the Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon Andrew Hastie MP today announcing that a $17.6 million contract has been awarded to a Newcastle business to provide the next evolution of military computer simulation training software, specifically developed for the Australian Army. Tender-winner Applied Virtual Simulation Pty Ltd, a small regional Australian business based in Newcastle, has been awarded the contract to provide Army’s Common Simulation Software under Land Simulation Core 2.0 Tranche 1.

It is both an honour and a privilege to be appointed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison as Australia’s Minister for Defence. Having served for over two decades as an Army Officer before my election to the Senate, I know there is no greater constitutional responsibility for any Australian Government than the defence and security of our nation. 

Joint Media Release Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Marise Payne Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Simon Birmingham This week, the Foreign, Trade and Defence Ministers will host their Singaporean counterparts for the 11th Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) meeting in Sydney.

Joint media release Senator for New South Wales, Senator Hollie Hughes Local contractors in the Hunter region will receive a boost from a $42.2 million overhaul of facilities at the iconic Singleton Military Base, with construction due to start this week. In a move that will aid the Hunter economy’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Singleton mid-term facility ‘refresh’ will improve amenities for more than 1,000 defence and civilian personnel at the base.

The memories of Australian diggers on the Western Front will be preserved, with a $8.3 million technology upgrade at the Sir John Monash Centre in France. Set on the grounds of the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery and adjacent to the Australian National Memorial, the Sir John Monash Centre tells the stories of Australians who served on the Western Front in their own words.

The sixth annual Chief of Army’s Wounded, Injured and Ill Digger Forum commenced in Canberra today. The Minister for Defence Materiel and Science, the Hon Mal Brough MP, and the Chief of the Australian Army, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, DSC, AM, met with soldiers and their families, as well as Defence health care providers. The forum is an opportunity for wounded, injured and ill members to share their experiences with Army’s senior leaders and Defence health care providers and support services.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and to Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and Minister Song Young-moo. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here this morning and meet with you all. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the Seoul Defense Dialogue has a very well-earned reputation as a major forum for fostering understanding and cooperation on regional and global security issues. It has become an important fixture in high level discussion on strategic challenges. The more interconnected and interdependent the world becomes, the more important this forum becomes.

MARISE PAYNE: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It's a great pleasure to be here in Seoul this morning for the sixth Seoul Defense Dialogue, which - as I said in my remarks - is an extremely important opportunity for regional countries and, in fact, countries far more broadly on the international stage, to get together to discuss some of the key issues that confront us on a daily basis.

Small-to-medium businesses will be able to apply for grants of up to half a million dollars from today after Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price launched the Skilling Australia’s Defence Industry (SADI) Grants program. The Morrison Government’s SADI program will deliver $39 million over the next three years, with $17 million per year in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, to support a skilled workforce in the defence industry sector. 

More than 100 defence skills industry leaders will gather in Perth this week to work on a plan to  ensure Australia has the skilled workforce it needs to deliver the Morrison Government’s job-creating defence industry agenda. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Melissa Price MP, opened the National Defence Industry Skilling and Workforce Summit today – fulfilling the Morrison Government’s commitment to consult widely with industry and across government on workforce needs.

ASHLEIGH GILLON: The Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicides has tabled an interim report with its final findings due in mid at 2024. Joining us live is the Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh. Minister, really appreciate your time. Thank you. You apologised to veterans after reading this report, on behalf of the government today. What is it specifically that you're apologising for? Is it the way they were treated while they were serving in the ADF, afterwards the bundled claim system? All of the above?

HELEN DALLEY:  Well joining me live now to discuss our top story this morning is Defence Minister Marise Payne, and we're very pleased that she made time to join us. Marise Payne, thanks for joining us. MARISE PAYNE: Good morning Helen, how are you? HELEN DALLEY: I'm well. Now, how serious is this row, this rift with Indonesia's military?

SUBJECTS: US request for assets in the Red Sea; Veterans support over the holiday season.  

HOST: As you saw at the top of the program, a big day in Canberra unfolding on the domestic political front, but also an important overseas visitor in the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, James Marape, talking to Scott Morrison and others about all sorts of issues including border protection, security in our region, and of course, the rising influence of China.

A high-tech small Australian business will continue working with the Royal Australian Navy to provide additional Tactical Electronic Warfare simulation training systems, after successfully delivering the capability earlier this year. The new contract awarded to Cirrus Real Time Processing Systems (Cirrus) proves advanced, world-leading technology can be delivered by Australian businesses. Navy’s School of Maritime Warfare at HMAS Watson accepted 35 workstations provided by Cirrus in May this year, with the new contract set to provide an additional 39 workstations.

Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today announced a new research partnership to pursue innovative maritime Defence technologies.  Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group and Sonartech Atlas signed a three-year agreement today for research and development in Australian Defence Force (ADF) Naval capability for ships and submarines.  Minister Pyne welcomed this new partnership with Sonartech Atlas, signed in Adelaide as part of DST Group’s annual Partnerships Week.

Work has begun on a new purpose built facility at Henderson in Western Australia which will house the Royal Australian Navy’s Submarine Rescue System.The capability is a key part of the Liberal National Government’s new sovereign air transportable Submarine Rescue Service, which will support the men and women serving in Navy submarines.Turning the first sod on the new site today, Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said the new system is being designed and built to support the capability requirements of the Navy.

Thales Australia is looking to make Tasmania the home of a state-of-the-art trials and test facility for submarine and surface ship sonar systems.   Thales Australia, the University of Tasmania, Australian Maritime College and AMOG Consulting today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to investigate the establishment of the facility.  

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South Australia will be the home of Australian nuclear-powered submarine construction, helping to deliver the single greatest upgrade for our Defence capability starting this year. Delivering on the Albanese Government’s commitment, Australia’s next-generation nuclear-powered submarines will be built at Osborne, South Australia.

Construction of a next-generation High Performance Computing Centre (HPCC) in Adelaide will kick off this month, with the awarding of a $57 million contract to South Australian-based company Hansen Yuncken. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Melissa Price MP, said the contract came with firm obligations that the company would maximise opportunities for local sub-contractors and workers.

Joint media release James Stevens MP, Member for Sturt The Morrison Government will invest $65 million to deliver a land-based test facility for the Navy’s new Hunter Class frigates, creating up to 180 jobs at businesses across the greater Adelaide region at the project’s peak. The test facility will enable the testing and integration of the combat systems for the Hunter program, which is delivering nine world-class anti-submarine warfare Frigates to keep Australia safe.

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Joint media release The Hon Steven Ciobo MP, Minister for Defence Industry   Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP joined the Premier of South Australia, the Hon Steven Marshall MP in the grand opening of REDARC Electronics’ expanded factory in South Australia today. Minister Pyne said the expanded facility, which will be the home of advanced electronics manufacturing in the defence, automotive and mining sectors, is an exciting boost to the South Australian economy.

On Friday 8 October 2021, Defence Ministers from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga came together virtually for the annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work together in response to shared security threats. The Hon Peter Dutton MP, Minister for Defence, said he was pleased to chair the important forum during a time of significant change to the regional security landscape. 

Joint media release Assistant Defence Minister & Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Alex Hawke MP   Defence Ministers from across the Pacific have come together virtually for a special South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). The video teleconference was held to discuss COVID-19, regional security impacts, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the Pacific region.

Defence Ministers and senior civilian and military officials from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, as well as observers from Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, gathered in New Caledonia for the annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) from 4 to 6 December 2023. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the creation of SPDMM and its 8th iteration.

Defence Ministers or their representatives from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga gathered in Auckland for the ninth annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) from 1 to 3 October 2024. They were joined by observers from Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as Mr Baron Waqa, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, as a special guest.

Defence ministers from Australia, New Zealand, France, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Chile and Tonga met via videoconference for a virtual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting on 07 July 2020.Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the meeting as an important forum in their regional security architecture as well as a platform to advance defence and security cooperation on matters of common interest to support a stable and prosperous Pacific.Ministers shared lessons learnt on their experiences with COVID-19 and discussed related impacts on regional security.