Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Administration, Senator Minchin. I refer the minister to the government’s decision to implement Kinnaird’s two-pass approval system by exposing Defence proposals to scrutiny from other departments, such as the minister’s department, before they are considered by cabinet. Wasn’t this system intended to stop the poor decision making that had occurred? For example, the failed Seasprites have suffered a cost blow-out, from $400 million to $1.1 billion, and still not one of the 11 helicopters is operational. Would the minister confirm that the decisions taken to spend $6 billion on 24 Super Hornets, $2.2 billion on C17 heavy-lift transport aircraft and almost $600 million on Abrams tanks—a total of nearly $9 billion—were all approved outside Kinnaird’s two-pass approval system? Minister, haven’t you ignored your own rules which were designed to protect taxpayers from further disastrous Defence procurement decisions?