Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I never criticised the Super Hornet per se in opposition. I certainly criticised the process, which left the Air Force with no other option than to produce a recommendation of the Super Hornet, under the demands imposed by the former government, because there simply was not any other possibility. These are the things we learned in government. We were left with no choice. Having said all of that, I want to repeat: we think the Super Hornet is an aircraft more than capable of doing the work we would expect of it over the next decade, and more.

In regard to the second phase of the air combat capability review, I do not know how the member for Paterson knows what is in the air capability review—that, in itself, is of great interest to me. The member for Paterson should understand that we are going through a white paper process. The white paper process reviews our strategic environment, both now and into the future, and then determines our consideration of a force structure review. It would be a crazy thing for the government, on the back of that report, to make a decision about our air combat capability by the year 2045 before we have determined the outcomes of the white paper and our force structure review. Of course the government will sit on the air combat capability review, encompass it as part of the white paper process and make the right strategic decisions, unlike the former government.

See this speech in context