Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Those 141 major capability projects have included not only rectifying the significant problems given to us in the Collins class submarines by a previous Minister for Defence—which are now world class, I might add—but also investing in 22 attack armed reconnaissance helicopters. We have taken delivery in the United States in the last week of five of the first 59 heavy Abrams tanks, we have got 14 Armidale class patrol boats and the member for Leichhardt only last week told the people of Cairns that the $75 million upgrade there will proceed. The government recently announced, in addition to that, another $1½ billion to increase the size of and to give more strength and tanks to the Australian Army.

I might also add that in all of this the government has made it a priority to see that wherever possible Australian industry can invest in and contribute to hard earned Australian taxpayers’ investments in defence. In fact, I read in today’s Australian Financial Review Mr Geoffrey Barker saying of the government in defence over the last 10 years and going forward:

No peacetime government has attended to defence policy in all its dimensions more assiduously, or even more obsessively, than the Howard government.

He said it has presided ‘over major organisational reforms, significant developments in strategic and force structure policy and continuing growth in defence spending’. I think the Executive Director of the Australian Defence Association put it very well when he said:

The National Security Committee of Cabinet is probably the most successful since World War II.

This government will not be cutting and running in defence, whether it is in Iraq or Afghanistan or indeed in the long-term strategic direction in the defence of Australia and the investment required to support it, which includes in no small way a strong economy.

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