Minister for Defence - Transcript - Interview with Celina Edmonds, Sky News, Garden Island Sydney

Topics: International Fleet Review, Royal Australian Navy.

CELINA EDMONDS:

Senator David Johnston joins me, thanks for being with us. What a day Sydney has turned out for the International Fleet Review.

MINISTER:

It is an absolute delight Celina, it is a fabulous day for the Royal Australian Navy.

CELINA EDMONDS:

Now, you better tell me where you were for that wonderful moment – the 21 gun salute at Bradleys Head by HMAS Sydney.

MINISTER:

I was over at Bradleys Head and we had 50 Royal Australian Navy women launching a book and watching HMAS Sydney sail pass – 18% of the Royal Australian Navy are women which is a fabulous result for us. Many of them were there to celebrate 100 years of Navy’s service to our country and it was just a great event. The Chief of Navy has done a fabulous job organising this – we have got 36 boats here from India, China, Papua New Guinea, Japan, the United States right behind us here and the Royal Navy has bought along a type 45 destroyer. It is a fabulous event for us and all of these sailors from across the world are experiencing Australian culture. It’s a wonderful thing and the Chief of Navy really needs a big bouquet for what he has achieved here today.

CELINA EDMONDS:

It is a huge exercise and it puts a spotlight on Sydney, but also Australia because we are welcoming many visitors here. Families and friends of Navy personnel who are going to be witnessing what is certain to be a great show tomorrow.

MINISTER:

What we forget is when we send our boats and ships away –wives and husbands are left behind to look after the family for six months or more while we are doing things in the Middle East, up in East Asia or over in the United States. Service of not just the members of the Royal Australian Navy, but theirs families is a fabulous contribution to Australia’s way of life and security. Today is a celebration of all those people, not just the men and women in uniform.

CELINA EDMONDS:

I imagine that it is important to remember that whilst this celebration is going on here, the commemoration of that day one hundred years ago and we have the International Fleet Review tomorrow, that the Australian Navy and all other Navies represented that their work continues around the world.

MINISTER:

This is right. We are doing counter-piracy up in South-East Asia, we are across in the Middle East and we are working together with navies – the Chinese Navy, the Indian Navy, of course our ally the United States and the Royal Navy – working with them hand in hand every day. What you are seeing here is the good will that they have for Australia, they have decided at some considerable expense to send their boats out here. And here they all are at Sydney Harbour, one of the best strategic military naval bases in the world. For Australia to have this unfold before its eyes this weekend is just a wonderful thing and I hope all of your viewers appreciate the effort that has gone in for these countries to commit to sending boats four or five thousand nautical miles to come to Sydney which is just a wonderful thing.

CELINA EDMONDS:

With the change of government recently, speculation does turn to spending cuts and of course eyes turn to Defence. Perhaps a lot of people don’t understand a lot of what our defence people do, and I guess for many people this is going to be the first opportunity, for some of them to be up close to some of the warships that are part of the Royal Australian Navy.

MINISTER:

That is exactly right. So when we buy a military vessel like one of our Anzac Class frigates, the cost is one third of the cost of ownership. Two thirds of the total cost is in keeping the boat running- paying the sailors, putting the fuel in the hold and putting the weapons on board. So what you are seeing on Sydney Harbour today is really measured in billions of dollars of contributions of sustainment, not just for the RAN, but for all navies. And the boats are in magnificent condition, they are spotless, the sailors are looking great. This is a really sensational performance by these navies from around the world to say to Australia “we are with you, we respect you and we are prepared to celebrate with you 100 years’.

CELINA EDMONDS:

As Minister do you get an opportunity during this International Fleet Review to get up close to the technologically advanced HMS Daring that we have seen coming in here. Do you get a chance to look at the capabilities the Australian Navy has and then compare and contrast them to what our friends in other Navies are doing?

MINISTER:

Absolutely, when you look at the size of the US Navy, the Royal Navy, the PLA Navy, when we have got about 14,000 sailors and they have got hundreds of thousands of sailors on very many large boats. The challenge for Australia when have about 23 million people to defend our massive maritime environment is to have a cost effective but efficient fast boats and ships. That is the challenge for every government and we are looking at trying to bring forward some projects that actually deal with the maritime challenges that we confront, because at the end of the day every bit of economic good we do is about putting something on a boat and exporting it overseas.

Minerals, oil and gas, LNG, coal, wheat, cotton, and rice all leave Australia on a ships. We must have a good Navy, and what you are seeing here today is what the world says about capability, what they are prepared to commit to make sure those sea lanes of communication are kept open. We will be providing China with about 20% of all its energy needs in the next ten years. That is a massive responsibility for Canberra and we need to shoulder that responsibility.

CELINA EDMONDS:

Just finally of course, our Navy is also involved in border protection and that continues whilst these celebrations are going on here. I can imagine there are plenty of people who would like to be here but they are not, they are actually out in the service and working tomorrow and right through the weekend and over this nine day celebration.

MINISTER:

We have seen recently off Italy some very tragic scenes, but also in Australia we have got 14 Armidale Class patrol boats, a couple of frigates and P-3 Orions flying overhead trying to manage our vast maritime border, it is a huge challenge for us. Our sailors out of Darwin are doing a magnificent job and their families are supporting them in doing it. They are away for often weeks at a time and occasionally they have to deal with tragedies where boats have sunk and people are in the water, this is a terrible task and they do it professionally and they do it very well. We are very thankful for them.

CELINA EDMONDS:

Senator David Johnston where are you going to be tomorrow just quickly?

MINISTER:

I’m on HMAS Leeuwin.

CELINA EDMONDS:

You’ve got prime spot with Prince Harry.

MINISTER:

My wife is very keen to meet him tonight, we are meeting him off the plane and we are looking forward to that. It is quite an experience for us and we are quite excited about it.

CELINA EDMONDS:

Indeed, enjoy it all and thank you very much for speaking to us on Sky News today.