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

That is a really good question. To deliver and to implement our plan for a sustainable naval shipbuilding industry, both Defence and industry need to become more innovative. We need to continue the development of cutting-edge technology, for which Australia is already particularly well known. For example, one of the key technologies that we will include in the Future Frigate will be the phased array radar system that was developed right here in Australia by CEA Technologies. It is both innovative and cutting-edge, and it will provide the Australian Defence Force with unique home-grown capability. That is only one example of the sorts of technologies that need to be developed not just for the Future Frigate but for our other naval vessels, for which there will be others required as well.

As we develop indigenous technology and indigenous business like that, and as we grow Australian industry, we are also going to be able to enjoy spillovers into other sectors. Often the technologies that are developed to support defence capability needs can be used and commercialised in other areas as well. That is what is going to drive our nation into a 21st-century economy. (Time expired)