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

I think, if the senator checks the record, there will be no indication Minister Pyne was incorrect. And as I have previously said, as I reiterate again today, the government has directed the Department of Defence to maximise Australian industry involvement, engagement and capability throughout the entire Future Submarine Program. That was, as I said in my previous answer, one of the key objectives of the competitive evaluation process.

The government, through the defence white paper and the Defence industry policy statement, has put in place the necessary framework and initiatives to ensure that we maximise the opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises to engage with Defence—through things like the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, which will be underway in Adelaide imminently—and to contribute to programs like the Future Submarine Program, which as we have noted before will generate more than 2,800 jobs right across Australia.