Joint Media Release - It's official: Marles' defence 'reform' exposed as musical chairs

THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
MEMBER FOR HUME

THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL
MEMBER FOR DURACK

IT’S OFFICIAL: MARLES’ DEFENCE ‘REFORM’ EXPOSED AS MUSICAL CHAIRS

3 December 2025

Less than 24 hours after being unveiled, Richard Marles’ so-called landmark defence acquisition reforms have been exposed as nothing more than a bureaucratic reshuffle that bypassed key defence agencies and will do nothing to speed up delivery.

Under questioning from Coalition Senators, agencies responsible for major projects and capabilities – including submarines, naval infrastructure and satellite technology – confirmed they first heard about the new Defence Delivery Agency through media reports on Monday.

No Defence Minister, departmental official or ministerial staffer contacted them in advance. They had no input into the design of the reforms and, more than a day after the announcement, still had no detailed information – beyond being offered a 25-minute briefing on Thursday. This is despite Defence being both shareholder and customer of these agencies.

Officials further confirmed the changes would have no impact on the delivery of their projects and no impact on their existing relationships with Defence – directly contradicting Labor’s claims that the reforms will bring in more commercial expertise and speed up projects.

Shadow Minister for Defence Angus Taylor said the evidence showed the announcement was all spin and no substance.

“Richard Marles is playing musical chairs with the Defence Department instead of doing the hard policy work needed to protect Australians and our servicemen and women.

“Defence policy must serve the warfighter and the Australian people – not exist for ministerial press conferences and photo opportunities.

“While other nations are moving with urgency to get better bang for buck from their defence spending, Labor is leaving Australia behind in the most dangerous strategic environment since the Second World War.

“Labor’s rhetoric isn’t keeping up with reality. Thought bubbles and magic tricks won’t fix defence procurement – just like accounting tricks won’t fix defence underfunding.

“Richard Marles needs to level with Australians: explain the threat; explain the funding that’s needed; and explain what real reforms will make sure every dollar is spent well.

“So far, all these reforms have delivered is confusion. Our ADF needs capability, not a new org chart,” Mr Taylor said.

Shadow Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Labor’s attempt to brand this bureaucratic reshuffle as the “biggest reform in 50 years” had collapsed within a day.

“Labor’s spin simply doesn’t stack up. Key defence agencies weren’t consulted, weren’t briefed, and don’t believe these changes will shift the dial on delivery. That tells you everything about the credibility of this announcement.

“Instead of patting themselves on the back for a glossy new org chart, Labor should be doing the real work: investing in capability, supporting industry and fixing the growing backlog of delayed projects.

“Industry won’t be celebrating a restructure that does nothing to bring work forward. You can’t sustain a sovereign industrial base when Defence isn’t buying,” Ms Price said.

ENDS

Joint Media Release - Labor's defence restructure must deliver real outcomes

THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
MEMBER FOR HUME

THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL
MEMBER FOR DURACK

MEDIA RELEASE

LABOR’S DEFENCE RESTRUCTURE MUST DELIVER REAL OUTCOMES

1 December 2025

The Coalition will closely examine the Albanese Government’s proposed restructure of the Department of Defence, warning that organisational reshuffles must not distract from Australia’s urgent capability needs.

Australia is facing the most dangerous strategic environment since the Second World War, with autocratic regimes increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific.

Right now, our region is being tested. We are seeing hostile actions against our ADF, against our critical infrastructure and cyber security, and against our friends and partners — including the recent events in Japan.

In this environment, reshuffling boxes on a Defence org chart is not a strategy. The test of this restructure is simple:

1. Does it get equipment into the hands of our war-fighters faster?

2. Does it clear the roadblocks to sovereign capability – on missiles, air defences, naval acquisitions, autonomous vehicles and drones?

3. Does it make Defence more agile – with faster decisions, fewer bureaucratic bottlenecks and clearer lines of accountability?

4. Is it properly funded so it delivers real capability, not just more press releases and process?

Our men and women in uniform need kit in their hands, capability in the field, and a government prepared to fund and deliver it.

Without proper funding, without a focus on readiness, and without a clear plan to back our people and industry, this risks being yet another exercise in moving the deck chairs while strategic storm clouds gather.

Australia needs a defence system that stands on its own two feet within our alliances — ready, agile, properly funded and laser-focused on getting capability to the frontline.

Shadow Minister for Defence Angus Taylor said “the real test of Labor’s restructure is delivery, not spin.”

“Too often, defence procurement is slow, bloated and underfunded. Projects run years late, costs blow out, and Australian industry is left on the sidelines when we should be building a sovereign edge in missiles, air defence, naval capabilities, autonomous systems and drones.”

“It is one thing to create an ‘Armaments Division’ on paper. It is another thing entirely to move from rhetoric to readiness,” he said.

Shadow Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said “The Coalition stands ready to work with the Government on any reform that genuinely speeds up procurement and gets capability into the hands of our war fighters faster.

“While Labor is patting themselves on the back and calling this the ‘biggest reform in 50 years’, Australian defence industry is reeling from a lack of investment.

“This is simply shuffling the deck chairs. GWEO and NSSG were spun out of CASG under this Government. Both are simply being returned under one roof. There is no new money on the table and this is simply Labor attempting to distract Australians from their poor management of defence procurement.

“Instead of playing games, Labor should be investing in Australian industry and ensuring our men and women in uniform have the equipment they need to keep us all safe," she said

ENDS

Media Release - Labor Scuttles Away From Speed Limit Plan After Public Backlash

Labor Scuttles Away From Speed Limit Plan After Public Backlash

The Federal Labor Government has sculked away from further work on its controversial proposal to reduce default speed limits on open regional roads in a move that has intensified scrutiny of its approach to road safety and regional infrastructure.

Federal Member for Durack, Melissa Price MP, said the Government’s behaviour amounted to “crab-walking away from an idea it should never have entertained,” adding that she had been raising concerns about the proposal from the outset. “I’ve been fighting hard on this issue because it was clear from day one that this proposal made no sense for regional Australia,” she said.

Ms Price also expressed appreciation for the public response to the consultation process. “I want to thank everyone who took the time to send a submission or share their concerns. When people stand together and speak up, we can achieve real outcomes,” she said.

According to the Communique from the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers’ Meeting on 21 November 2025, ministers acknowledged widespread community feedback on the proposed reductions, initially outlined in a Regulatory Impact Analysis by the Department of Infrastructure. The proposal canvassed lowering default limits from 100 km/h to 90, 80 or even 70 km/h an idea rejected in more than 11,000 submissions.

Critics argued the measure represented a “lazy” alternative to meaningful investment in regional road maintenance. Ms Price echoed this, stating: “Reducing a speed limit doesn’t fill a single pothole or strengthen a single bridge.” She said the Government’s attempt to quietly shelve the proposal after months of public frustration failed to address the underlying neglect of regional infrastructure. “Regional Australians deserve real solutions, not more bureaucracy from Canberra,” she said.

Concerns have also been raised about significant reductions to Commonwealth support for major road programs, including:

• Cuts to the Commonwealth contribution for regional road projects from 80% to 50%;

• The scheduled end of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program on 1 July 2026;

• The abolition of the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative.

Ms Price said these funding decisions, paired with the abandoned speed-limit proposal, created “a troubling picture of neglect,” adding: “If the Government is serious about road safety, it needs to invest not cut corners or funding.”

The withdrawal of the proposal is widely seen as a signal that Australians expect practical, properly funded road-safety initiatives instead of measures that slow communities down while failing to fix dangerous road conditions. Ms Price emphasised: “Safety comes from maintaining and upgrading roads, not from blanket speed reductions that paper over deeper problems.”

Ms Price reiterated that effective road-safety policy must be grounded in proper maintenance, upgrades and long-term planning: “Shifting the burden onto road users won’t solve anything.”

Ends.

From AUKUS Delays to Ignoring Veterans, Labor is Failing on Defence

Australia is facing the most dangerous strategic environment since the Second World War, yet the Albanese Government is responding with yesterday’s budget and yesterday’s urgency. In this speech I outline growing threats, the slashing of sustainment budgets, delays to AUKUS and Henderson, and Labor’s failure to invest in the capabilities we urgently need, from missiles to satellites. I also call out the government’s shameful treatment of Defence families and veterans - from the closure of the RAAF Base Pearce childcare centre to their attempt to strip appeals rights from honours and awards. At a time like this, Australia needs seriousness, urgency and a commitment to at least 3% of GDP for defence, not neglect and political spin.

Opinion Piece - Labor Should Heed Words on Defence Spending, Not Ignore and Insult

Major General Greg Melick AO RFD ED, now retired, is a great Australian who has served this country for more than 50 years.

From 1966 until 2018, Major General Melick served in full-time and part-time capacities in the Australian Defence Force Reserves. He rose through the ranks to Major General and became Australia’s most senior Reserve officer in 2007.

He was later appointed to the Australian War Memorial Council in 2015 and recently finished his tenure as President of the Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) after 6 and a half years.

Despite this long and proud history of serving Australia, former Prime Minister Paul Keating decided it was right to make a rare public interjection to insult the retired Major General, calling him ‘a dope’.

He did so because Major General Melick used his Remembrance Day address to call for more defence spending, in order to deter conflict and to protect more Australians from being added to the Roll of Honour.

While Mr Keating’s name-calling is disgusting enough, I most take umbrage with the former PM laying the worst possible intentions on Major General Melick stating he ‘wants to drag us into a military exchange with the Chinese’.

As a proud member of the Liberal Party and someone who has also called for defence spending to rise to at least 3% of GDP, let me be clear this isn’t about getting us into a war, it’s about preventing it.

Enhancing our military capability through AUKUS and sovereign mass production of missiles, drones, cyber, undersea systems and real sustainment of existing kit is first and foremost designed to deter aggression.

This isn’t a new idea.

The concept ‘if you want peace, prepare for war’ goes all the way back to Rome in the 4th century. This has carried through time, with US President Ronald Reagan famously adopting a doctrine of ‘Peace Through Strength’ in the 1980s.

Mr Keating’s interjections on foreign and defence policy demonstrate a clear failure to recognise the current strategic environment is at its most dangerous since the Second World War - a fact the Albanese Government’s own defence officials have confirmed, while highlighting that conflict breaking out in our region is becoming less remote.

On the same day as Mr Keating blasted Major General Melick for fearmongering, the Director General of our domestic intelligence agency ASIO warned China is “conducting multiple attempts to scan and penetrate critical infrastructure in Australia and other Five Eyes countries”.

According to Mr Burgess they are targeting water, transport, telecommunications and energy networks, pre-positioning for a potential sabotage of critical infrastructure.

These grey-zone activities appear to be increasing at the same time as the Chinese Communist Party undergoes the largest military build-up of any nation since the Second World War without providing any strategic assurances.

Australia needs to respond to these escalating circumstances, and I will not criticise Major General Melick for using an opportunity where the nation is focused on our defence forces to make that point.

In June the Prime Minister said Labor ‘will always provide for capability that’s needed’.

That stands in stark contrast to revelations that under Labor dozens of workers maintaining and upgrading the RAAF’s F-35 fighter jets have been redeployed as part of an austerity drive within Defence.

This is just one example of a broader problem of severe underfunding in Defence with each of the ADF’s service chiefs reportedly warning that sustainment budgets are being slashed, leaving critical platforms and the nation exposed.

What is the purpose of having multi-million-dollar equipment if it’s not properly maintained and ready for use at a moment’s notice? Does Labor really think in case of conflict the enemy would wait for us to catch up?

We need to be a ready force, one to deter and two to respond if required.

Having attended the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney last week, I heard again that the Albanese Labor Government’s problems go far beyond sustainment.

The current view from defence industry is that if you aren’t involved with submarines, you have just about Buckley’s chance of getting anywhere. We must deliver AUKUS, but not at the expense of the rest of our capability needs.

The Prime Minister’s number one responsibility is to keep Australians safe. He once said his word is his bond. It’s time he keeps his word, ends the cuts and properly funds our ADF.

Unfortunately, it appears Major General Melick’s plea has fallen on deaf ears with the Hon Matt Keogh, Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs, simply saying that it was ‘probably not something that we should be focusing on a day like Remembrance Day’.

This is quite a surprising take, given that many in the Labor Government, including the Prime Minister, seemed to have been more focused on the anniversary of the Whitlam dismissal than marking Remembrance Day.

Instead of maintaining the rage, the Government should be focused on maintaining and enhancing our defence capabilities.

ENDS.

*Published in The Canberra Times, 17 November 2025

The Hon Melissa Price MP

Shadow Minister for Defence Industry

Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel

Joint Media Release - Remembrance Day 2025

THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE

THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL

PHILLIP THOMPSON OAM MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR DEFENCE

REMEMBRANCE DAY 2025

11 November 2025

Each year, in the 11th month, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour, our great nation pauses to remember.

In a moment of stillness and silence, we honour all Australians who have served, suffered and sacrificed in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations throughout our history.

We pay tribute to the more than 103,000 Australians who gave their lives defending others and preserving our freedom.

On this fateful day 107 years ago, the guns fell silent after four years of unimaginable loss.

Among those who served was Henry Weston Pryce, born and raised at Woolway Station in the Monaro.

He was one of three boys in his family. He enlisted on 16 June 1916, and on the 11th of November 1918, he left us these immortal lines:

The echoes die, the smoke-clouds thin and pass,

The cannons are, like statues, dumb and cold:

Silent the crosses wait, and in the grass

The spent shells gleam like gold.

All spent he lay and dreamed till the moment came:

Now, waking with a cry, he looks, all wonder

To see the empty sky hurl down no flame:

To hear no crack of thunder.

Many, like Henry, returned from the war. Too many did not, and Henry’s brothers were not afforded his fate.

Their loss, and the loss felt by their families, remains with us.

Each Remembrance Day at the eleventh hour, we observe one minute of silence. We do so to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that others might live in freedom and peace.

Their courage asks that we reflect, learn and recommit ourselves to the highest ideals of humanity: to safeguard freedom, defend democracy and protect the future of generations to come.

With still hearts, we pay our respects.

With steady grace, we stand with those who made it home, and with the families of those who fell far from home.

And with quiet resolve, we renew our determination to preserve the freedoms they fought to secure.

May the deeds and sacrifices of Australia’s servicemen and women be forever honoured.

May we never forget the cost of peace.

Lest we forget.

ENDS.

Labor’s Environmental Reform: Bad for Business, Worse for Australia

The Albanese Government claims its reforms will modernise our environmental laws. In reality, they create a system that’s slower, more complex and devastating for jobs. With new powers for activists, unaccountable bureaucrats, and endless litigation. This legislation risks crippling the industries that fund our prosperity.

Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025

Australia faces the most dangerous strategic environment since World War II. This new Defence Committee must strengthen oversight, not weaken it. It must be serious, bipartisan and focused solely on the national interest. It must contain no Greens who are determined to cut defence spending, cancel AUKUS and end our alliances.

What Is Labor Hiding? The Truth Behind Their FOI Bill

Labor promised transparency, integrity and accountability, yet they’re now dismantling the very laws that protect them. From banning anonymous requests to introducing “truth taxes,” this bill is designed to keep Australians in the dark. So what is Labor so scared of?

Labor’s Red Tape Threatens Australia’s Critical Minerals Future

The new US–Australia critical minerals framework is an important step for our national and economic security, but it needs more than words. In this speech, I called out Labor’s red tape and extreme nature-positive laws that threaten to derail investment, jobs and processing opportunities in regional WA. Australia has the resources the world needs, yet Labor’s policies are driving up costs, stalling projects and exporting opportunity overseas. A “Future Made in Australia” needs real action, not just announcements.

Durack’s Raise Our Voice Winner Speaks Out on Housing and Opportunity

I had the privilege of sharing the words of Heidi, Durack’s winning entrant in the Raise Our Voice campaign. Speaking on behalf of the Hedland Youth Advisory Council, Heidi delivered a powerful message about the challenges young people face in her community - especially the struggle for affordable and accessible housing.

Labor Wants to Cut Speed Limits Instead of Fixing Our Roads

The Albanese Labor Government’s proposal to cut regional road speed limits from 100 to 70 kilometres an hour shows just how out of touch it is with regional Australia. This isn’t about road safety, it’s about avoiding responsibility for maintaining and upgrading our roads.

You can have your say on this proposal here. Submissions close November 10.

Minister Butler, Regional WA Deserves Better on Healthcare

There is an unfair burden being placed on regional communities who are paying twice just to see a doctor. Once when they visit the clinic, and again through their local council rates. Regional Western Australians deserve a health system that attracts and retains doctors, not one that leaves local governments to pick up the slack.

Why is Labor Ignoring the Regional Banking Crisis?

Regional Western Australian communities are being hollowed out one essential service at a time. In this speech, I spoke about the devastating closure of the last bank in Cunderdin, leaving locals to travel over 120 kilometres just to access basic banking services. It’s another reminder that regional Australians are being left behind while the Albanese Government sits on the Senate inquiry’s recommendations into regional banking.

Cyclone Zelia Recovery: The East Pilbara Deserves Better

In this speech, I raised serious concerns about the federal and state governments’ failure to properly fund the rebuild of vital roads in the Shire of East Pilbara after Cyclone Zelia. Eight months on, the community has worked tirelessly to secure the $26 million needed to restore access to the Western Desert, yet the response has been insulting.

Labor's Delays Are Holding Back Henderson and AUKUS

Labor keeps making big announcements but little progress. In this speech, I spoke about why the $12 billion promise for the Henderson Defence Precinct can’t just be another headline, it needs real funding, a clear plan, and urgency. Western Australia deserves to be at the centre of Australia’s shipbuilding future, and our nation needs to invest in defence readiness, not rhetoric. The Coalition will always back our Defence Force and our industry with action, not announcements.

Opinion Piece - MISSILE PROGRAM OFF TARGET

Last week during Senate Estimates, Defence officials confirmed Australia faces the most dangerous strategic environment since World War II, with the military power of the Chinese Communist Party expanding at record speed.

In this environment, it has never been more important for Australia to build real defence capability.

This requires strengthening our defence arsenal, which will enhance collective deterrence, but also requires a strong sovereign defence industry that can withstand troubling times.

This week, the Albanese Government announced what it called a joint statement of intent with the United States on guided weapons.

It sounds impressive but let’s be clear, this is an agreement to make an agreement.

After three years in government, Labor through the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise has not delivered a single missile made on Australian soil.

Defence officials have even confirmed that as part of their efforts to ensure staff “can bring their authentic self to work”, the GWEO Enterprise has produced more cookbooks for Harmony Day than missiles.

That might sound like a joke but it highlights a very serious problem with this government’s priorities.

The Coalition supports close co-operation with the US.

It is the backbone of our national security and just as Australia has famously done during wartime, we must pull our own weight.

True partnership means Australia contributing capability, technology and production capacity. That’s why we welcomed the announcement that the Government has an intent to strengthen ties with the US, including through the export of guided weapons.  

But with no missiles of our own, it is unlikely we will be in a position to export any time soon.

Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy outlined that co-production was on the horizon but with no timeline, no figures and no firm commitment to manufacture precision strike missiles here in Australia, this appears to be simply another example of the Government substituting press releases for progress.

What marvellous timing as well with Anthony Albanese due to finally have his first proper meeting with Donald Trump next week, almost one year on from his election as US President.

If a light-on-detail announcement before a potential meeting with the US President sounds familiar, that’s because it is.

Just last month, before the Prime Minister was set to fly to United Nations and hoped to secure a meeting with President Trump, he announced $12 billion towards the Henderson Defence Precinct here in WA.

Since the Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence and Premier Roger Cook all posed for photos at Henderson, the Albanese Government’s plans have come under heavy scrutiny.

While the Prime Minister promised $12b towards the precinct’s redevelopment, the total figure required by his Government’s own admission is likely to be $25b.

The Government can’t even answer basic questions on when and over what period its commitment will be spent.

If that’s not all, the boundaries and definition of the Henderson precinct haven’t even been finalised, and the planning work won’t be complete until 2027.

Still these factors didn’t prevent the PM announcing this would deliver 10,000 skilled jobs and an enduring shipbuilding industry.

The timing of these announcements says a lot. It suggests these decisions are being driven more by a motivation to please President Trump than being a true reflection of a co-ordinated plan to support Australia’s industrial base.

This lack of delivery isn’t just frustrating for industry, it’s dangerous for the country. In a deteriorating strategic environment, Australia can’t afford to wait years for decisions while our potential adversaries move ahead at speed.

Let me be clear, the Coalition wants the Government to succeed here, and we do not seek to play politics with national security.

But we have a duty to hold the Government to account and as far as I see it, Labor is failing in its most basic duty which is keeping Australians safe.

Fulfilling that duty begins with resourcing Defence properly. We cannot meet this moment on yesterday’s budget.

The Government must lift Defence spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP to match the scale of the challenge before us.

This also must be a real increase leading to increased capability, not an accounting trick that includes existing expenditure on defence pensions and Border Force, to artificially raise the rate.

West Australians understand what it means to build things that last. We’ve done it in resources, energy and agriculture, and we can do it again with shipbuilding. But we need a government that turns intention into industry and talk into tangible results.

Announcements don’t defend our nation.

Missiles will. Ships will. Skilled Australian workers will.

ENDS.

*Published in the West Australian, 16 October 2025

The Hon Melissa Price MP

Federal Member for Durack

Shadow Minister for Defence Industry

Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel

Joint Media Release - Townsville Training Incident

THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP
LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR FARRER

THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE

THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL

PHILLIP THOMPSON OAM MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR HERBERT

MEDIA STATEMENT

TOWNSVILLE TRAINING INCIDENT

Thursday, 16 October 2025

The Coalition extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the Australian Army soldier who tragically passed away following a training incident near the Townsville Field Training Area.

Our thoughts are also with the two other ADF personnel who were seriously injured, their families, and their fellow service members during this difficult time.

Incidents like this are a stark reminder of the risks our Defence personnel face, even in training, in their commitment to serve and protect our nation with pride.

We also acknowledge and thank the first responders and medical teams who are providing care and support.

The 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), is a tight-knit infantry unit. In times of tragedy, their strength as a community is clear.

We extend our condolences to them as they rally around one another in the face of this heartbreaking loss.

[ENDS]

Joint Media Release - Labor's Missile Announcement Fails to Fire

THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP   
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE

THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL

MEDIA RELEASE

14 October 2025

LABOR’S MISSILE ANNOUNCEMENT FAILS TO FIRE

The Opposition welcomes closer collaboration with the United States on guided weapons, but once again we have an announcement from Labor that fails to deliver any new capability to the Australian Defence Force in the here and now.

After years of reviews and re-announcements, Labor still has not delivered a single guided weapon produced on Australian soil. While our strategic circumstances continue to deteriorate, the Government’s progress on sovereign missile manufacturing remains stalled.

It was confirmed last week in Senate Estimates, that the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise has produced more cookbooks for Harmony Day than missiles. Now, today we get an announcement of intent for a potential future agreement. This is an agreement to make an agreement.

After three years of Government announcements on missile manufacturing the Government still has nothing to show for it.

Australia needs less cookbooks for bureaucrats, and more missile production lines for local industry.

Australia’s GWEO enterprise should be an important second source of supply of missiles to the United States and our other allies, creating thousands of jobs for Australians and an entirely new export industry for our economy, the likes of which we have never seen in the history of our defence industry.

This announcement is a pathetic substitute for action ahead of the Prime Minister’s meeting with the American President.

Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Defence, the Hon. Angus Taylor MP:

“Defence officials have confirmed that Australia faces the most dangerous strategic environment since World War II. Yet Labor is failing to deliver the funding and capabilities to match the threats we face.”

“Labor’s chronic underfunding of Defence risks leaving Australia exposed and our ADF ill-equipped to defend our nation and our region.”

“Australia must bolster itself as an additional source of guided weapons and explosive ordnance for the US and our other partners. This was why the Coalition committed to establishing the GWEO enterprise as an expanded industry for Australia. Under his leadership Anthony Albanese has let this enterprise die on the vine.”

“Australia must move beyond the rhetoric. Labor must lift Defence spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP and back its promises with a budget that can actually deliver them.”

Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Defence Industry and Defence Personnel, the Hon. Melissa Price MP:

“The Coalition supports deeper defence industry cooperation with the United States, but that cooperation must also deliver real jobs and industrial growth here in Australia.”

“Australian businesses should be at the centre of our missile manufacturing efforts, not watching opportunities drift offshore. This is supposed to be about sovereign capability.”

“After three years of talk, Australians are still waiting to see a missile roll off a local production line. Labor must ensure that our industry, our workers and our supply chains are genuinely part of this effort.”

ENDS.

International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

Yesterday I spoke about attending the fantastic launch of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists at the Perth Royal Show. From food and fibre to biodiversity and innovation, our pastoralists are the heartbeat of regional WA. Big thanks to Debbie Dowden and all who are leading the way into 2026