Indo-Pacific 2025 has officially kicked off, with Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy saying defence’s acquisitions process would face further reforms to speed up procurements.
Conroy said the government had been very clear it needed to move faster and had already made significant changes to defence, particularly around the projects of concern process.
“We are already moving faster than any government previously,” he told reporters.
Minister Conroy referred to the acquisition of the new Japanese Mogami-class General Purpose frigates, part of the process to double the Navy’s surface fleet.
He said under the previous Coalition government’s plan, the Navy would have acquired one additional warship in the next 10 years.
“We will be having four more ships by 2034, with delivery of the first brought forward by five years. We are moving at speed on Ghost Shark. We moved from an idea on paper in 2022 to opening a factory with the first production variant delivered to the Royal Australian Navy in January next year,” he said.
“We are moving at pace, but we need to move faster. That’s why DPM (Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles) and I are committed to further reform to defence.”
Conroy said there was also a real commitment in the US and UK to speeding up their procurement practices, taking on new vendors and not relying on the same old suppliers.
“Across the whole democratic world, particularly the US, UK and Australia, there is a commitment to move faster, learning the lessons from Ukraine. That’s what we are doing right now, putting those lessons into action,” he said.
Outside the event at the Sydney International Conference Centre, noisy mostly pro-Palestine protesters were kept at a distance by NSW police.
“We live in a vibrant democracy and everyone has the right to protest as long as they are peaceful,” Conroy said.
With a number of Israeli companies exhibiting at IP25, the Minister was asked about Australian defence exports to Israel.
He said Australia had not supplied weapons or ammunition to Israel for at least the last five years.
The only export licences being approved right now was for ADF equipment that is going to Israel for either repair or upgrade of for manufacture to come back to Australia.
“In terms of them supplying the ADF, we make no apology for getting the best possible equipment for the Australian Defence Force. We make no apology for making sure that our soldiers, sailors and aviators have the best equipment to protect Australia’s interests,” he said.
Conroy made one specific announcement.
South Australian-based battery company PMB Defence is partnering with BAE Systems in the United Kingdom to enable the potential integration of its advanced nickel zinc battery system into the design of the future SSN AUKUS.
PMB will also supply battery technology for other Royal Navy submarines.
The deal is worth more than $34 million and has already seen PMB add 20 staff to its workforce in South Australia. More jobs are likely to be added as PMB t scales up to meet production requirements.
Chief of the Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond said this was the largest ever of the 13 previous sea power conferences in Sydney, with 900 exhibitors, 58 international delegations and 35 visiting navy chiefs.
“Indo Pacific 2025 brings together delegations, defence industry leaders, academics and strategic thinkers from across the globe, reflecting the scale and significance of Navy’s shared commitment to maritime security,” he said.