Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (12:49): I thank all of the senators who've contributed to the debate on the Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025. The bill represents a significant step in strengthening parliamentary oversight on defence. It is modelled on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, and it seeks to allow parliamentarians to scrutinise capability development, strategic planning and operational decisions.

The committee will access classified information, giving parliament the tools for secure, informed oversight in a challenging strategic environment. The committee complements existing oversight mechanisms, including Senate estimates. It closes a critical gap in classified scrutiny, and it also monitors the performance of defence regulators and the government's response to the royal commission's findings.

The membership arrangements of this committee reflect the approach taken in the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. The success of this longstanding and well-respected committee is why it is a key model that we are using to establish the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence. It allows for the effective, balanced oversight of defence matters by both government and non-government members.

This bill reflects our government's commitment to transparency, accountability and stronger decision-making in defence. I commend the bill. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Hodgins-May ): The question is that this bill be now read a second time.