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

I thank Senator Lambie for her question. It will not surprise Senator Lambie to know that I do not agree with the premise of her question and her observations in relation to my extremely valued Senate colleagues. The exact idea behind the Defence Industry Policy Statement, which will be a bible, if you like, for those who are engaged in the defence industry across Australia—in particular for leading Tasmanian businesses, a number of which have already been drawn to my attention by our parliamentary colleagues from Tasmania—is that they will be able to work within the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement, which sets a new paradigm for the relationship between Defence and industry across Australia, in regional areas and around the nation, for small, medium and large enterprises.

There are over 3,000 defence related industries in Australia. A number of those are located in Tasmania. A number of those are referred to in the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement. I look forward to working with all members of the parliament who represent Tasmania to make the most of those relationships and to maximise the possible contribution of those industries to engagement with Defence.