Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Again, I thank Senator Reynolds for her particular ongoing interest in these matters and in the defence white paper as well. What the Integrated Investment Program does is to bring together all areas of investment in defence capability for the first time, providing transparency and certainty in our defence procurement plans. Given the size of the investment—which a number of senators have referred to this afternoon—in defence capability over the next decade and beyond, this is a very, very important focus through the Integrated Investment Program. It includes, in fact, the critical enablers, some of which I referred to in my response to Senator Madigan, which have been neglected for so long—enablers that are absolutely crucial to supporting the cutting-edge and new capabilities that we will be introducing.

We are going to be acquiring new and enhanced capabilities across the full range of capability domains, whether that is cyber or maritime and antisubmarine warfare, or strike and air combat, or land combat and amphibious warfare. We have set out a comprehensive plan for our future defence across the full spectrum of defence capabilities and enablers.

Not only is the Integrated Investment Program public and externally cost assured; it is also going to be available online and regularly updated to provide a real and functional resource for industry in particular and provide them with certainty, which has most certainly been lacking in previous years. Never before has an Australian government actually released the level of detail on its future plans for defence that we have today with this externally cost assured, 10-year Integrated Investment Program.

Through our defence white paper of this year, through the Integrated Investment Program, we will deliver that more capable, agile and potent Australian Defence Force, which Senator Reynolds has been a proud participant in and so many other Australians serve with great distinction.