11 Jul 2012
It may appear prosaic at first sight, only New Zealand’s Defence Force budget for 2012/13 is especially subtle this year; arguably even a little deceptive. Premium
26 Jun 2012
The Government will provide $214 million for the next stage of the Future Submarine Project, announced Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare the week before the release of the budget. Premium
2012 is the politically magical year where the government will return to surplus. Indeed the headline figure is a $1.5 billion surplus. But cuts had to come from somewhere and Defence has most definitely played its part. Premium
25 Jun 2012
Defence spending slashed by $5.5 billion … largest year-on-year cut (10 per cent) since our withdrawal from Korea in 1953 … smallest share of GDP (1.6 per cent) since the Munich Crisis of 1938. It’s all true, there’s no point pretending otherwise; Defence copped a walloping. Premium
01 Jun 2011
Slashed and burned. Not only did this year’s Federal budget defer $2.4 billion of investment to beyond 2014, but the government clawed back $3.9 billion that had been promised in the 2009 White Paper from across the forthcoming decade. Premium
As mentioned earlier, only days before the budget in Canberra, ministers Smith and Clare took the opportunity to announce a range of measures under the Strategic Reform Program (SRP) umbrella. Many of the details build on the work done under the previous Kinnaird and Mortimer reviews. Premium
This year’s defence budget looks like a low-key document, but its long term implications are profound. The financial basis for budget planning has changed fundamentally: the SRP is the new source of Defence’s 3 per cent budget growth. Premium
While some cuts to Defence were to be expected given the government’s promise to return to surplus next financial year (an election year), the cuts were larger than many had anticipated. But there is some light in the finer detail. Premium
Defence Support Group (DSG) is responsible for delivering most of the shared services that support the ADF and Defence Groups, and is fundamental to generating Defence capability through the services it provides. Premium
13 May 2011
The Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit has tabled its report into the 2009-10 Defence Materiel Organisation, Major Projects Report on 22 defence major acquisitions worth $40.8 billion. Premium
