PM trashed defence governance, says ADA

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has trashed the process of reform of defence governance
initiated by John Faulkner, a defence lobby group says.
Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James says his organisation is
happy to have Stephen Smith as the new defence minister, Warren Snowdon and
newcomer Jason Clare as junior ministers and another newcomer, David Feeney, as
parliamentary secretary.
But the ministerial arrangements now amounted to two and a half full-time ministers
when a department as complex and diverse as defence required three, Mr James said on
Saturday.
Senator Faulkner, the former defence minister, had undertaken significant reform of
governance and it was understood he had recommended to Ms Gillard that his
department gain three full-time ministers, he said.
"The tragedy of Julia Gillard's announcement is that she has thrown a lot of that
governance reform out with no valid reason and we would think probably with no
thought," Mr James said.
"This isn't to do with the personalities of the new ministers - it's to do with the
governance structure that minister Faulkner was introducing being trashed so
thoughtlessly."
Under the new cabinet announced on Saturday, Stephen Smith is the senior minister
while Warren Snowdon takes on veterans affairs, as well as defence science and
personnel.
Mr Clare becomes minister for defence materiel, which with defence science was
formerly handled by Greg Combet.
Senator Feeney becomes defence parliamentary secretary. His responsibilities haven't
been spelled out but are likely to include defence facilities and support,
previously handled by Mike Kelly.
Mr James said his organisation was bitterly disappointed that there had been a major
step backwards in ministerial oversight through splitting defence science from
materiel responsibility.
"We can see no valid reason to reverse the reform that Senator Faulkner introduced
earlier this year," he said.
"We can't see any reason why that (three minister) structure wasn't implemented,
except perhaps party political convenience which we don't see as a sufficient excuse
not to further improve the ministerial oversight of the department of defence."