Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, the budget indicates that the number of flying hours for both RRH and MRH will be cut. Can you inform the House how much they will be cut by? Are there any other assets, rotary or fixed, that will have flying hours cut over the forward estimates? The Chief of Navy's brief to his commanders and senior sailors indicates that they will be looking at the constrained use of surface vessels because of the reduction in fuel available to those ships. Could the minister outline what is the reduction of fuel to surface vessels and what programs the Chief of Navy will not be conducting because of the lack of fuel the chief has available to him?

Minister, with respect to the mothballing or putting into storage of M1A1 main battle tanks and M113s, what is the impact on the full supply chain in terms of training, core selection, core skills, crew command courses and the like? What impact will that have on the armoured corps, because of the mothballing of those assets?

See this speech in context