Melissa Price: The devil is in the detail when the Albanese Government makes billion-dollar announcements

As is often the case when the Albanese Government makes a multi-billion-dollar announcement the devil is in the detail.

Labor’s plan to sell off more than sixty defence assets is no exception.

Already, there are serious concerns about this proposal, particularly its effect in erasing a Defence presence from our cities. Here in Western Australia, that includes the Irwin and Leeuwin Barracks. According to the Government’s own report, these barracks support roughly 1,150-1,200 and 350-400 personnel respectively.

As the Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel, I believe the last thing we should be doing is selling off assets that directly support the recruitment, training and retention of ADF personnel. As retired Brigadier Ian Langford has said, “How do you recruit and retain a workforce that is unable to serve in populated areas?”

The Opposition will use Senate Estimates next week to interrogate these issues and seek clear answers.

We are open to sensible reforms, but ultimately, the test for these reforms is a simple one – do they trade away defence capability, now or in the future? At a time when Australia is facing the most dangerous strategic environment since the Second World War, the margin for error is vanishingly small.

One thing we do know is that the proceeds from these divestments will be retained within the Defence portfolio, in part to reorient our focus to our northern bases. That assurance from the Minister for Defence begs an obvious question: is this genuine reinvestment, or is it simply a way to paper over Labor’s chronic underspend on Defence? If Labor just funded Defence properly we wouldn’t have to sell any of our nation’s key assets.

While the Minister was quick to talk up progress being made across sites in the Northern Territory, upgrades to Western Australia’s northern bases are stalling.

Of the $237 million allocated to upgrade RAAF Base Curtin and RAAF Base Learmonth under the National Airfields Capital Works – Western Australia project, as of October just $8.16 million had been spent with works not expected to be completed until 2028.

These upgrades are not optional extras. They are central to Australia’s strategy of denial, as outlined in the 2024 National Defence Strategy. That strategy is about deterring conflict before it begins and preventing adversaries from projecting power against Australia through our northern approaches. The work underway at Learmonth would enable aircraft to launch and refuel in ways that extend their range, allowing the ADF to operate further north than is currently possible and to hold potential adversaries at greater distance.

Yet despite the strategic importance of this capability, further questions about the reasons for these delays and how Australia can afford to have them continue remain unanswered. Those questions have been put to the Department of Defence, and the responses are now overdue.

While this work, or lack thereof, stalls in the north of our state, the success of the AUKUS agreement and our generational opportunity to obtain nuclear-powered submarines depends on meaningful progress being made in and around Perth.

During a recent visit to HMAS Stirling, I saw firsthand the work underway to prepare for the commencement of Submarine Rotational Force-West in 2027, including a new submarine training centre and accommodation facilities. Conversations with personnel on site offered some encouragement, but serious challenges remain, particularly around surrounding roads and housing.

Given it is now nearly five years since the Morrison Liberal Government secured the AUKUS agreement, it is difficult to understand why the Cook Labor Government has only just launched an ‘AUKUS Community Taskforce’. These challenges should have been identified and addressed years ago.

I am even less optimistic about progress at Henderson. Since the Albanese Government announced $12 billion last September for the development of the defence precinct, we have heard very little.

We do not know how or when this funding will be spent. Basic decisions about the precinct’s definition and boundaries remain unresolved, and there is confusion about who is ultimately responsible for determining the future layout of the site.

Meanwhile, local industry has been calling for more doing and less talking. Companies already operating at Henderson, who will be critical to delivering future Defence projects, have been left frustrated by a lack of action, limited engagement, and unclear direction from both State and Federal Labor governments.

You would think decisions of this magnitude would be informed by those with the expertise and experience on the ground. Instead, it increasingly appears to be another case of bureaucracy assuming it knows best.

Australia is living through a decisive period for our national security. The strategic environment is deteriorating, the threats are real, and the timeframes are unforgiving.

This is not a moment for press releases, shifting money around, or vague assurances. It is a moment for delivery. If we are serious about strengthening deterrence, supporting our people in uniform, and enhancing Defence capability, then we must move beyond rhetoric and get on with the job.

The Hon Melissa Price MP is Shadow Minister for Defence Industry & Defence Personnel and Federal Member for Durack.