Close×

Katherine Ziesing | Canberra

The 2016 election has passed and returned the Coalition to government with a reduced margin. The Turnbull front bench has changed thanks to the loss of a few ministers. The subsequent reshuffle has seen the Defence portfolio redistributed among three people: Senator Marise Payne remains as the Defence Minister, Dan Tehan becomes Minister for Personnel, and Christopher Pyne steps up to become the inaugural Minister for Defence Industry. Michael McCormack has left his former role as Parliamentary Secretary to become Minister for Small Business.

At the time of writing, the delineation in responsibilities between Payne and Pyne were yet to be announced, but Pyne must be more than the Minister for the SA Defence Industry as detractors will be keen to point out. And how will the relationship work in an everyday sense? Do they both get a seat and a say at NSC? What is the hierarchy between Payne and Pyne? These are important questions that will only be answered with time as all three ministers settle into their roles.

ADM has been on the record now for 20 years about the importance of the Defence industry to the Australian economy. It is good to see this recognised, finally, at the highest levels of government.

Regardless, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back Ministers Payne and Tehan and thank them for their work thus far and wish Minister Pyne the best of luck in his new role as part of the Defence team. This sector of the Australian economy, not to mention the support for the men and women on the front line, is too important to relegate to the B team so an increase in ministerial representation is a good sign.


 

"Submarines might be the obvious under water asset they are not the only tool in the shed."

 


Our edition this month takes a look at two very important themes: Sustainment and Underwater Technology. Sustainment is typically an area where the Australian defence industry shines. Much of the sustainment work that the ADF requires is done here in country starting with the primes and filtering all the way down to micro SMEs, providing the knowledge and cash flow that is the lifeblood of this part of the economy. It may not have the big dollar signs out the front that acquisitions programs have, but it does provide continuity and certainty for many players.

This has also typically been an area that is subject to cost cutting measures. The trouble with moving such things out to the right means that the problem is simply put off for another day; a day not of your choosing in many cases. There is now a push in Defence to focus on preventative and scheduled maintenance across their fleets to make sure that a platform is dealt with before it becomes a ‘burning platform’ issue. This will be an innovative space for both Defence and industry as new contracting models are put in place and more capabilities have the ability to ‘self-diagnose’ with inbuilt diagnostics.

Our other theme this month is underwater technology. While submarines might be the obvious under water asset they are not the only tool in the shed. Unmanned underwater vehicles are making huge gains in technology, both in terms of platforms and the algorithms behind them. And I have no doubt that the Future Submarine will sport some kind of unmanned vehicle in its lifetime. As to what shape that may take, that is up to the next generation of Navy I suspect. Given the waters that Australia needs to cover, unmanned platforms will no doubt play a large part in the future for the Commonwealth, and not just in Defence applications.

Our SME Spotlight this month on Ocius is a case in point. Once again, overseas success in a related field came before local support but that hasn’t stopped the team from pitching to various government agencies, including Defence.

I must admit that I do like the stories that have come out of the SME Spotlight series. They highlight the innovative and almost stubborn side of our Defence industry. With these stories, we see the ability to keep going despite setbacks, to take risks on technology and people and to see a future where a warfighter is supported by a great idea. A common theme among them is the years-long overnight success story that emerges time and time again through different journeys. ADM will keep highlighting the stories of these companies.

comments powered by Disqus