Minister for Defence - Statement

I am grateful for the trust and confidence of the Prime Minister to be Australia’s fifty-first Minister for Defence. 

 Since being appointed Shadow Minister for Defence in 2008, I have diligently gone about serving my party and its leadership. 

 I thank the men and women of the Australian Defence Force for their commitment to protect and defend our great nation, for their service and their sacrifice.

I thank my dedicated staff for their tireless work and commitment to me personally. 

Over the past fifteen months, a number of significant reforms have commenced.  Some of these include:

·        Restoring the Defence Budget

·        Acquiring another 58 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft

·        Acquiring the Triton Broad Area Maritime Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

·        Acquiring the  P8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft

·        Bringing forward preliminary engineering and design work necessary to keep open the option of building the future frigate in Australia. 

·        Bringing forward the Pacific Patrol boat program

·        Remediating the AWD program – brought in advisers

·        New Special Forces vehicles

·        Re-starting the ADF Gap Year program

·        Indexing military superannuation

·        Providing free basic health care to all ADF family members

·        White Paper team established, Issues paper published

·        First Principles Review team established and given terms of reference

·        Defence cooperation agreement signed with Japan

·        Restoring relationship with Indonesia

·        Excising part of Woomera to the local indigenous owners

I was privileged to steer Defence through deployments into Europe following the loss of MH17 and MH370 and into Iraq to combat ISIL. 

I look forward to making an ongoing contribution as part of Tony Abbott’s team. 

It had been a great privilege to serve in this role.

Media contact:

Brad Rowswell (Minister Johnston’s Office) 0417 917 796