THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CANNING

STATEMENT ON LABOR’S WEAK ESTIMATES PERFORMANCE

Wednesday 14 February 2024

It was yet another lacklustre performance from the Albanese government today at Senate Estimates, as their weak leadership and inability to make tough decisions was exposed for all to see.

When it comes to defence and national security, the Albanese Government has consistently failed at every turn.

Nearly 300 days on from the Defence Strategic Review, Labor still can’t confirm when they will respond to their ‘short, sharp’ Surface Fleet Review – as defence industry continues to languish in uncertainty.

The Surface Fleet Review has now sat in the Defence Minister’s overflowing in-tray for longer than it took for the review team to write it.

While Labor's ineptitude cripples Australia’s defence industry, morale within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is at an all-time low.

Personnel numbers have dropped to 58,427 – well below its target of 62,735 – and soldiers are leaving the Army in record numbers, left with no other choice given the weak leadership and indecision of the Albanese Defence Ministry.

This is unsurprising. The Albanese government has already delivered a series of blows to the Army by drastically cutting the LAND 400/3 program from 450 infantry fighting vehicles down to 129, renegotiating the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle program, and moving key battlefield units further afield from their natural homes.

Meanwhile, Labor refuses to rule out selling off the historic Victoria Barracks in Sydney and Melbourne – a move that would strike at the heart and soul of the Australian Army.

Richard Marles and Pat Conroy are wreaking havoc through Defence with no new money and cannibalisation of capabilities.

If these weak Ministers can’t step up, they should step down and allow someone else to clean up the mess they're making.