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19:57, September 23, 2008 |
An independent review of Australia's defense procurement systems called for greater independence while acquiring and maintaining the nation's military equipment.
The report Going to the Next Level, released on Tuesday, recommends the Department of Defense increase the rigor with which it assesses projects before they are implemented.
A key recommendation of the report said that Defense Materiel Organization (DMO) should be given more independence as an executive agency.
Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said in recent years confidence in the ability of the commonwealth to provide Australia's defense forces with critical capability had been "severely undermined" by troubled projects which had run over budget and late.
These included the "infamous" Seasprite helicopter project along with the Wedgetail early warning aircraft project and plans to upgrade the Adelaide guided missile frigates.
Fitzgibbon said the concept appealed to him when he was in opposition and should be "further canvassed and considered".
"I said both in opposition and since the election that I want the DMO to run more like a business and less like a bureaucracy," the defense minister said.
The DMO has a cash budget of more than 9 billion A dollars (75.6 billion US dollars) per year and manages over 230 major capital equipment projects and over 180 minor projects.
Source: Xinhua
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