Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to have the opportunity to raise some issues with the Minister for Defence Industry with regard to the Australian government's commitment to and investment in the defence industry. I particularly note that I'm asking this question on the eve of Remembrance Day, and I take this opportunity to pay my respects and give thanks to all defence personnel, past and present, for their service and contribution to our country.

As the minister knows, my electorate is home to the SAS at the Campbell Barracks in Swanbourne, and many of their families live in the nearby Seaward Village area and play a vital role in our local community. The Irwin Barracks in Karrakatta, home of the 13th Brigade Army Reserves formation of the Australian Army, is also a part of my electorate. And I note, just for a little bit of history, that the Royal Agricultural Society's showgrounds in Claremont were the proving ground and training base for the 10th Australian Light Horse Regiment, which served in the Great War, from Gallipoli to Damascus, from 1915 to 1919. Of course, WA is also home to many other facilities for the Defence Force, with Army, RAAF and Navy facilities, and today WA is home to close to 7,800 defence personnel, including permanent ADF and Reserve members and Australian Public Service employees. This number is forecast to grow over the coming years.

Our state of WA plays a vital role in ensuring that this government can fulfil its primary job of keeping Australians safe. But, to do that, we also need to make sure that the men and women of the Australian Defence Force have the capabilities they need to keep Australians safe. This includes comprehensive skills and training, efficient and modern equipment, and advanced technology, which encompasses intelligence and space capability. To that end, I just want to spend a little moment highlighting a company in my electorate, a company called Chironix. This company, which was founded by Daniel Milford, is at the forefront of rapid deployment and management of autonomous robots and digital wearables. This company is playing an important role in the defence and resources sector by optimising and integrating new software into existing technologies, allowing them to work more effectively. An example of the work they are doing is a project called Project Simpson, which is being done with the US Office of Naval Research, and it's to develop and demonstrate a technology that will significantly improve outcomes for casualties in the field.

Project Simpson is named in honour of the Anzac stretcher-bearer Jack Simpson, and will integrate three cutting-edge technologies that will allow a single medic to provide a casualty with lifesaving treatment, monitor key vital signs hands-free, and evacuate the casualty to a field hospital. An all-terrain ground vehicle will be programmed to autonomously navigate the patient to safety—the modern-day Simpson's donkey. This will be integrated with a vital signs monitor that will display key information to the attending through a Glass for Enterprise heads-up display unit, while emergency treatment will be delivered through an automated critical care system. Now, I know that Chironix is not the only company or enterprise in WA that is working in the defence sector, but, to me, the forward thinking and innovation shown by Daniel and the team at Chironix highlight what we are capable of here in Australia. We have the brains, we have the talent, but we need to support and encourage it.

Minister, I'm aware that the policies for investment in the 2020 Defence Strategic Update and 2020 Force Structure Plan will make the ADF more capable for a wide range of scenarios Australia will face in the future. I'm also aware that the Australian government is committed to building a stronger defence industry, and investing $270 billion in Australia's defence capability over the next decade. But I want to know how we are going to support our local brains, our local talent and our local people—our non-defence people—to be involved in this and benefit from this. So my question to the minister is: can you please outline how the Morrison government's unprecedented investment in the defence industry is driving innovation and creating Australian jobs, including and especially in my home state of Western Australia?

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