Fitzgibbon defends $20b defence spending

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has defended his department against suggestions
that finding ways to save $20 billion would prove it has been incompetently run.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Saturday released Australia's first defence white paper
in nine years.
The 140-page document made a commitment to increase defence funding in real terms by
3.0 per cent from its current $22.7 billion annual funding until 2017-18 and then by
2.2 per cent until 2030.
That funding requires a $20 billion saving within the forces, to be reinvested into
capability.
Despite a sometimes fraught relationship with his department, Mr Fitzgibbon stood by
it on Sunday.
"I believe my department has welcomed the fact that they've had a minister come
along who is determined to drive a reform project," he told the Nine Network.
"I have welcomed the fact that they have enthusiastically supported me and worked
with me in driving those reforms."
The federal government has engaged an independent auditor to help find the money,
which Mr Fitzgibbon said included $1 billion recouped from the cancellation of the
Seasprite helicopter project.
Labor's introduction of a five-year rolling program of new defence white papers
would also ensure the department continues to be run as efficiently as possible, he
said.
"Every fourth year we will expose the department to an independent financial audit
to do two things: to drive further reforms, further savings, but also to measure how
successfully we are achieving those reforms we have already outlined," Mr Fitzgibbon
said.
But Liberal Senator Helen Coonan criticised Labor for not explaining how it would
pay for the increased spending.
"There was one-and-a-half pages in a very large document that did go into great
detail about a quite bewildering array of military hardware that's going to be
purchased ... with nothing to justify how they'd do it," she told Sky News.
"I think it's getting to the stage where Australians are entitled to ask why we are
asked to commit to these very, very large sums with nothing more than a
back-of-the-envelope calculations."
Treasurer Wayne Swan said the details would be provided in the May 12 budget.
"There has been, in the past, waste and extravagance and we have put in place a
saving strategy as part of this ... details of which will be provided further in the
budget," he told ABC TV.
As for whether the budget would fund the introduction of army-style training for the
young and unemployed in return for additional welfare benefits, Mr Fitzgibbon was
tight-lipped.
"It will be a budget focused on jobs and nation building in a sustainable way," he
said.
"Of course, the Australian Defence Force already makes a substantial contribution
towards ensuring that young Australians have every opportunity to secure a job."
Mr Fitzgibbon said protecting young Australians from unemployment was a shared
departmental responsibility.
"I think there are a range of government departments and agencies that could do more
to ensure that we cushion Australia from the impact of the global recession," he
said.