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Recently appointed Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has welcomed her appointment to the new position with a focus on supporting the development of Australia’s defence industry, SMEs and future workforce.
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Minister Price has an extensive professional career including working for leading Australian law firm Clayton Utz. Minister Price also has more than 20 years' experience in the private sector, working in the mining and grain industry in a variety of commercial and legal roles, including iron ore company Crosslands Resources, which is owned by Mitsubishi Corporation.
In her statement following her formal appointment, Minister Price said, "My focus is to ensure Australia’s defence industry is fully supported to meet the needs and aspirations of the Navy, Army and Air Force, while creating employment for Australians and strengthening our economy through defence exports."
The appointment signals a reorientation of Australia's defence capabilities. Based in Western Australia, Minister Price and new Defence Minister Linda Reynolds will no doubt endeavour to emphasis the importance of both WA and the Indian Ocean on Australia's defence policy and future industry development.
"As a federal member whose electorate spans most of regional and remote Western Australia, I understand that expanding our sovereign Defence industry will involve a broad landscape of industry and educational needs. To support the companies contracted directly by Defence we need to ensure the right STEM skills pathways for our youth and provide opportunities for the workforce behind our Defence Forces," Minister Price said.
"This includes tens of thousands of small and medium enterprises – often located across regional Australia – who protect our Australian service men and women through the provision of equipment and services and the maintenance of comprehensive supply chains."
The election of the Coalition in 2013 saw a major shake-up in the way defence was approached by government. Following what the Coalition describes as six years of neglect under the tumultuous Rudd/Gillard/Rudd governments, the newly formed government sought to create an environment of stability and consistency for Defence with a number of key policy objectives.
Central to this was the commitment to return Australia’s defence expenditure to 2 per cent of GDP following what both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and now former minister for defence Christopher Pyne explained as a 10 per cent reduction in real terms in the last year (FY2012-13) of the previous government –resulting in defence investment falling to its lowest levels since 1938.
Minister Price recognised the efforts of her predecessors and the efforts of the Coalition since coming to office in 2013, saying, "I look forward to working with the Department of Defence, defence industry and all defence stakeholders to ensure the continued success of the government’s defence industry agenda. I also thank Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSM, the Hon Christopher Pyne and the Hon Steven Ciobo, for their tireless work in transforming Australia’s defence industry.
"The Coalition has a proud record of meeting Australia’s international environment commitments, of unprecedented investment in clean energy technology and in ensuring robust assessment processes that balance strong environmental protection with the needs of Australia’s economy."
Minister Price was elected to Parliament in 2013 and joined the joint standing committee on agriculture and industry, Indigenous affairs, and infrastructure and communications, and the joint select committee on northern Australia, to represent the electorate of Durack on a range of important issues.
Prior to stepping into the defence industry portfolio, Minister Price was elevated to her first outer ministerial appointment in the role of assistant minister for the environment. In 2018, Minister Price was sworn in as minister for the environment in the Morrison government.
