Patrick Durrant | Sydney
The recently appointed Defence Industry Minister had a lot to say during his various appearances at the conference this week, and has admitted a fascination for being “able to touch and feel what the Government is achieving”.
The member for Sturt and staunch advocate for SA industry has stolen the show so to speak, although to be fair the Minister for Defence Senator Marise Payne is currently abroad visiting her counterparts in France and Germany.
In the opening address to the invitation-only Chief of Army’s exercises, Minister Pyne made note of the dramatically changed “landscape” faced by industry given the Defence investment over ten years of $195 billion.
"For us, over the next 12 months, we have to make 69 significant decisions to keep on schedule."
He mentioned he would be travelling in October to the US “to press our case for being a maintenance and sustainment hub for the Joint Strike Fighter Program here in Australia for the Asia Pacific.” In addition he would talk to the UAE about Austal’s bid for a catamaran contract “worth about a billion dollars”.
“So I will be a very proactive Defence Industry Minister,” he said.
Pyne highlighted the sheer ambition of the investment program: “I’m told that Defence regards having to make 20 significant decisions as a big year in terms of taking a program right through from the National Security Committee to the cabinet, until it’s announced and the state implements it,” he said. “For us, over the next 12 months, we have to make 69 significant decisions to keep on schedule.”
He admitted his biggest worry was keeping to the schedule and achieving what had been promised but success was paramount.
“A lot of people here from 22 countries around our region and beyond … are watching Australia very carefully to see whether this is an ambition that we can achieve.”
“I’m very confident that we can achieve it. It’s very important that we do, because the national security is every Government’s number one priority.”
The Minister said during his first keynote speech at the conference’s International Defence and Industry dinner last night that the $640 million Defence innovation hub will invest seed funding to fuel innovation in local Australian Defence industry along the key priorities of: Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Electronic Warfare (ISREW), Space and Cyber; key enablers such as critical infrastructure, ICT, science and technology; and land combat and amphibious warfare.
“The new Defence Innovation Hub will be launched later this year, at which time innovation proposals can be submitted online through a new Defence Innovation Portal.
“The early release of the investment priorities will allow industry and research organisations to begin planning the innovation proposals they wish to submit.” Minister Pyne said.
With ‘innovation’ as ever the buzzword of the event, he singled out Sentient Vision Systems for praise on the news its Kestrel target tracking software had achieved 1000 global sales.
“It shows Defence and Australian industry can not only collaborate successfully on developing a Defence capability but also market it internationally.”
On a sentimental note, the Minister alluded to the fact he had lost three great uncles during WWI, two at Gallipoli and one at Pozières; also that his father had served during the Korean War.
“I’m deeply committed to building a defence industry capability and then providing that through my Defence Forces so they have the best platforms in the world to defend our nation and to have international reach,” he said.