Doorstop interview, Parliament House, Canberra

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The Hon Matt Keogh MP

Minister for Defence Personnel

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs

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media@defence.gov.au

Stephanie Mathews on 0407 034 485

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20 March 2023

MATT KEOGH, MINSTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL: We’re back this Week in Parliament after a great AUKUS announcement, it's great to be able to launch our new Navy advertising campaign “Live a Story Worth Telling”, encouraging Australians to consider a career in our Navy. As they look at what they might be doing as they're finishing school or looking at a career after university, the breadth of opportunity available to people is so immense, the different types of roles, the different opportunities of traveling the world, being able to support our national interest is something that we really encourage people to consider in the new opportunities that are coming from this AUKUS engagement and project, not just in the years to come, but over the decades to come. This is a huge nation building opportunity, and a great opportunity for people to get that experience and work in our Navy across whether it's submarines, surface fleet, so many different roles.

JOURNALIST: How important are people in AUKUS?

MINSTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL: I can't emphasise enough just how important our Defence Force personnel are. It doesn't matter what grade equipment we acquire. Our people are our most important capability because they make it all come together. They are the ones that operate our equipment. And it's what's in here, that's going to make a difference in any conflict and for any engagement that our defence forces are involved in.

JOURNALIST: Is the Government preparing for battle on moving any Legislation in the next two weeks.

MINSTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL: I think it's fair to say that we are now confronted with a circumstance that I thought we will never be confronted with right now having seen what has happened over the last wasted decade when it's come to climate action. And yet again, we are here facing a situation where the Greens are holding to ransom the opportunity to move forward on protecting our environment, on dealing with climate change and stop making it a political football. But instead, what we're seeing is the Greens opposing, risking, not being able to deal with climate change properly and it'll be on their heads.

ENDS

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