QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence) (14:50): I thank the member for her question and acknowledge her service in the Australian Army. The Jindalee Operational Radar Network is an incredible technology. It relies on bouncing a signal off the ionosphere, the ceiling of our atmosphere, to detect objects beyond the curvature of the Earth's surface—a radar which can literally see over the horizon.
It's a technology which was developed back in the 1980s by defence science in combination with BAE, at a time when there was not the same system of satellites as exists today. But, in a world where those same satellites can now be targeted, this is a technology which is coming back into its own. As the best long-range radar in the world, it is the envy of the world, and that is why Canada has agreed to partner with Australia in its future use by building its own radar to surveil the vast areas of Canada's Arctic north.
This is a $2.5 billion deal. It is the biggest defence export in Australia's history, and it's an example of successful defence policy—focusing on the detail, meticulously building our relationships and having a clear sense of the strategic objectives of our partners so that we can properly engage. That stands in stark contrast to how we know the Liberals do defence.
For the Liberals, defence policy is just about a single figure—a percentage of GDP—but at the same time not having an ability to articulate a single military platform upon which the defence budget would be spent. We've known for some time that the Liberals are defence dilettantes, but last week we also learnt that One Nation is no better. They did promise to cut health and education to fund defence, but, when it came to defence, there was again just a focus on a single number, leaning into the vibe of the thing and then hoping for the best.
The Liberals and One Nation are the Dennis Denutos of defence policy. This government is very different. We are getting on with business.
The two biggest defence exports in our country's history have happened under us, and the latest deal with Canada will support 1,000 direct and indirect jobs across South Australia and Victoria. These are deals which are building high-tech industry in Australia. They are deals which are increasing our national security.
They are deals which are helping to keep Australians safe.