Speeches

Speech to Chief of Army's LAND FORCES Seminar

Building a Resilient and Rules-Based Security Community in the Indo-Pacific Region Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. To members of the international military leadership who are here today; to the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, General Angus Campbell; to current and former members of the…

G’Day USA US-Australian Dialogue on Defence Industries “2016–2018: this is a watershed period in the defence of Australia”

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. It was created back in 1913 to be separate from our two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. It’s cold in winter, hot in summer, and the home of much of our nation’s government and Defence leadership. It’s been my second home for the last twenty-five…

Address to AustCham Singapore

It’s a pleasure to be here today. I am aware of the important role the Australian Chamber of Commerce plays in advancing cooperation between Singapore and Australia. The Chamber’s rich history reaches back to 1977 and I know you have always been dedicated to maintaining strength and vitality in the…

Address to the National Defence College, New Delhi, India

Good morning. I’m honoured to be here today at the National Defence College. I am keenly aware of the important work you do in preparing the defence and national security leaders of the future. This is my second visit to your exciting country – my first was in 2015, in my former role as Minister…

Lowy Institute of International Policy

Thank you very much for that introduction. It is a great pleasure to address the Lowy Institute this morning. With a distinguished board, it does us all a great service by stimulating debate and discussion on policy and Australia’s place in the world. This contribution is particularly valuable on…

CEDA Conference - Australia's place in the world

It’s a pleasure to be here today. CEDA does tremendous work in stimulating debate on a very wide range of economic and social issues. I’m a great supporter and constantly aware of CEDA’s distinguished contributions. When CEDA was founded  in 1960 by economic pioneer Sir Douglas Copland, and my…

Speech - Pacific Sea Power Conference 2017

It is a pleasure to be here, in Sydney, at the Pacific 2017 Sea Power Conference. I’m here to talk about the most exciting and long-term re-capitalisation of the Royal Australian Navy’s maritime capability for decades. I know this room appreciates the sovereign importance of a sound naval…

Keynote Address: Australian Business Defence Industry Sovereignty Forum

It’s a pleasure to be able to give the keynote address at the Australian Business Defence Industry’s Sovereign Industry Capabilities seminar today.  It gives me an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the efforts of ABDI as an advocate for Australia’s defence industry and capability.  The…

Developing A Defence Export Strategy

Speech to ASPI: Developing a Defence Export Strategy Thank you very much for that introduction and thank you to Lurssen and ASPI for arranging this event today. Between the two – our nation’s leading think-tank on strategic issues and a global heavyweight in the field of naval shipbuilding – we…

CEDA State of the Nation 2017

It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to address CEDA’s thirty-eighth State of the Nation conference. I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the work you do to promote policy debate across the country. Today I want to outline the Australian Government’s defence industry policy…

Keynote Address - IDEX Conference

It’s a pleasure to be here at such an important gathering of representatives of government, business and the military – and at such an important showcase of technological excellence and innovation. It is a particular pleasure to be back in the United Arab Emirates so soon. I was last here in…

Menzies Research Centre

It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity this afternoon to address the Menzies Research Centre – an institution with a unique role; to both honour the thinking of Sir Robert Menzies, the founder of the Liberal Party, and to continue to explore and develop the principles and philosophies he bought to…