CONTENTS

Defence Review Programme - from 1997

The initial stages:

This major Defence event was the subject of a Government Defence Efficiency Reform implemented 1st July 1997.
The initial appearance was that of a hastily introduced unilateral decision by the Goverment's Defence Minster without any prior debate in Federal Parliament or in the public arena. The explanation for this haste process was that it is an "Efficiency Reform" and therefore does not need to go before Parliament.
The Victoria Division considered that this was splitting straws as the process was the greatest re-organisation of the entire Defence system since World War 2.
As such it should have been considered by Parliament before any decision to implement was taken. To use the word 'efficiency' as a reason for not having Parliament approve the direction taken gave the unfortunate appearance of a bureaucratic "Yes Minister" approach aimed at removing the opportunity for elected members to comment on a Reform process that affected many of their electorates. If Reform was worthwhile why was it thought necessary to avoid having Parliament debate the issues?
Whilst the Victoria Division does not oppose the basic thrust of the Defence Reforms, it nevertheless expresses its concerns about the lack of adequate prior public and Parliamentary debate on a Defence Reform Report before its unilateral implementation by a Minister for Defence who is not qualified to make such a decision without the prior oversight of the entire Parliament.