Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to ask a series of questions of the Minister for Defence, first and foremost about some of his statements about the Super Hornet before becoming the minister and then his statements about it directly after becoming the minister. The first question is: what period of time after being sworn in as the minister did you receive the detailed briefing on the capabilities of the Super Hornet? Minister, given that you would have been briefed on the capabilities prior to your announcement of the inquiry into the capability of the Super Hornet and the recommendation as to whether Australia should purchase it, why did you put people through that exercise and chew up military time and dollars?

Secondly, Minister, you called for an air combat capability review. According to reports in the Australian on Wednesday, 30 April by Cameron Stewart, you were delivered your report that day. That report has now been sitting on your table for five weeks. Why has no detail of that report, albeit in a reduced, non-classified version, been provided to the defence industry personnel? Is it because the air combat capability review actually supports the recommendations and acquisition program put into place by the coalition government? Because that air combat capability review says, as we know, that the Super Hornet is the correct aircraft to replace the F111, and it says that the F111 needed to be taken out of operational use. (Time expired)

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