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

I did have an opportunity to speak about some of this earlier. The depth of that relationship—and, even more importantly, the breadth of the relationship—is perhaps not always appreciated. When you see our Defence Science and Technology Group and the Chief Defence Scientist working with the United States and other Five Eyes partners—the work they do in the technical cooperation, 'the technical partnership' as they call it—when you see how the US-Australia Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty enables both of our countries to share access to equipment, technology and information and services as we seek to achieve a fully interoperable force, then you see that they are foundational for our collaborative work. Our cooperation on the submarine program is an enduring example of where we work together so very closely. Our jointly developed combat system and the heavyweight torpedo are currently operational both on Australian and on US submarines. We have a joint naval communications station at beautiful Exmouth, in in Senator Back's own state of Western Australia, which I have had the chance to visit— (Time expired)