Minister for Defence – Transcript – Interview with Chris Coleman, ABC Riverina 20 May 2014
"
MINISTER:...
...There is a lot of rebuilding to do and that is why we are working on a new White Paper due out next year, with a funded Defence Capability Plan and defence force structure review that will set the path out to 2030 as it should have been under the previous Government....
CHRIS COLEMAN:There has been a bit of criticism that the JSF, 58 extra JSF and more than $28 billion at the same time that money is being taken out of health and education, according to the coverage, how do you respond to that?
MINISTER:Well, look I am pleased to respond to that, because we took that decision in 2002 to go with the JSF
CHRIS COLEMAN:The extra 58 of them ?
MINISTER:Well, in 2009 we said 100. We’re going to 72 within the second half of the next decade, we will look at where we are at and what decisions the then Government can make, but can I say this about the Joint Strike Fighter – it will be a regionally dominant platform, there is nothing comparable to it, it is a fifth generation fighter and anybody who understands history, any history at all, will understand that air capability is crucial to the survival of our nation, particularly with our vast maritime environment and responsibility.
Now, what has been happening is that since 2006 is we have been funding and putting money away into that particular program, there is no new money into the Joint Strike Fighter Program out over the Defence Capability Plan out to 2025. Now, this is the way Defence runs its capital accounts, we acquire the large capital and put the money away at an early stage because the Government needs to know, when these projects are going to be available, how much it is going to cost, when the payments will be due, it is just good planning. So a whole host of programs have had money taken from them, but this is not one of them. So the Joint Strike Fighter coming forward is probably one of our most important Defence purchases.
CHRIS COLEMAN:Provided they can get them flying.
MINISTER:Look, there are a hundred of them flying, there are a whole lot of them at Eglin Air Base and Yuma, in Arizona, the marines have taken possession of them, they’re coming along. This aircraft, I will be very pleased to show you Chris in 5 years, is just the aircraft for us, and is ultimately coming to us at a reasonable price.
....
MINISTER:Well, I think they are going to realise that this Government is planning and charting a course that is funded, now we are not going to make big splash announcements, but we are going to make sure that the commentators that know what to look for, the Mark Thompsons at ASPI and others that do a constant surveillance if
Defence funding can see transparency where the money is coming from and where it is going.Now, the fact that we have stabilised the haemorrhaging from the Defence Budget, or attempted to means we have a greater responsibility to make sure that we have a clear and transparent chartered course in the portfolio going forward, and of course, in the projects that we are funding, that we are getting good value for money, which is a huge increase in responsibility on Defence, to get better value for money, so we’re conducting reform...."
SOURCE: http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2014 ... ranscript/