Steve Gibbons (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister for Defence Materiel and Science and the Minister assisting the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Will the minister inform the House of any recent announcements that may be of interest to the Australian defence industry?

Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bendigo for his question—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: questions are not allowed to ask ministers to announce government policy. That question sounded suspiciously like a question that was asking the minister to announce government policy. I would ask you to point to the part of the question that was not about government policy being announced today. The question is out of order.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I took it that the question asked whether there were any recent comments, but I do not see that it was asking for the minister to make an announcement at all.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He asked for an announcement.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He asked for any recent announcements.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Pyne interjecting

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am deciding whether the member for Sturt should look at a potential three days or just the one hour because he and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition have been warned during this question time and have continued to interject. I am in the difficult position that, if I do not take action, it would appear that the standing orders do not mean anything. I therefore invite both the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the member for Sturt to leave the chamber for one hour under standing order 94(a).

The members for Curtin and Sturt then left the chamber.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Randall interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Without indicating that I am thin skinned, the member for Canning is warned for comments that he directed at the chair. The Minister for Defence Materiel and Science has the call.

Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would just like to repeat my thanks to the member for Bendigo for his question. He has been a very active advocate for the defence industry in this country. Yesterday the government announced that Australian manufacturers will be given a chance to win a contract worth more than $1 billion for the manufacture of the next generation of protected mobility light vehicles. These vehicles will play an important role in keeping Australian troops safe in combat roles, including command liaison and light battlefield resupply operations. They will be provided to the Army’s combat units and Air Force’s airfield defence guards and will be designed to operate in future conflict environments. Three companies will be awarded up to $9 million each for the development of protected mobility vehicle prototypes, putting them in the running to land a manufacturing contract for up to 1,300 vehicles. The three companies down selected that were announced yesterday include Tallis Australia, Force Protection Europe and General Dynamics Land Systems Division Australia, which is based in Adelaide. Tallis has facilities in Bendigo in Victoria and, as I indicated, General Dynamics are in Adelaide.

This decision means that these companies now have a chance of competing against prototypes also being developed in the United States under the joint light tactical vehicle program that are also in the running for the contract. Importantly, the Australian down selected manufacturers will have access to approximately the same funding that the government has allocated through the Department of Defence to the prototypes being developed in the United States. This announcement means that there will be greater competition for this very important contract in defence, an outcome that can only lead to better vehicles and better capability for the ADF. There is some way to go, of course, in this competitive tendering process, with two more stages of decision making still ahead of us. Just as an example, should Tallis Australia ultimately be successful in this competition, they have indicated that it would generate approximately 500 jobs in the Bendigo area and nearly 700 across Victoria in total.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the role a number of members have played in pushing toward this particular outcome. The member for Makin has been active in relation to this issue in particular, but I think it is fair to say no-one has been more active than the member for Bendigo who, when you are a minister in my position, is a person that certainly keeps the issues right in front of you. We are very pleased with this stage in this particular process.