John Hogg (Queensland, Deputy-President) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister representing the Minister for Defence. Can the minister confirm that the defence budget statements show that the $1 billion that was supposed to be spent on new equipment has been delayed for up to four years? Hasn’t spending of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new equipment been delayed each and every year since the original Defence Capability Plan in 2001? Can the minister explain why the government is so manifestly unable to properly manage defence finances so that personnel get promised new equipment on time? What action is being taken to ensure that the $25 billion of new equipment that is supposed to be delivered over the next four years actually arrives on time rather than years late?