Fed: Opposition calls for defence hearings to be reconvened

AAP General News (Australia)
02-18-2000
Fed: Opposition calls for defence hearings to be reconvened

CANBERRA, Feb 18 AAP - The federal opposition said today the defence estimates hearings
should be reconvened in light of Defence Department secretary Allan Hawke's criticism
of his own deparment.

Opposition Defence spokesman Stephen Martin said the department should be called to
account for serious discrepancies in evidence.

"It was only last week that the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
convened for estimates and no evidence was given by departmental officials that any of
these very serious problems existed," Mr Martin said.

"Neither was any evidence given as to the severity of other critical problems identified
by Dr Hawke - those relating to personnel, leadership and corporate planning."

Yesterday, Dr Hawke said the Defence Department had a credibility problem, was too
inwardly focused, lacked clarity of direction and faced a financial crisis.

The situation raised serious issues about the accountability of the Department of Defence
to the parliament, Mr Martin said.

"The parliament relies on, and accepts as 100 per cent accurate, the answers given
by departmental officials to questions on the financial statements and other major corporate
issues," he said.

"For the secretary of the department to publicly reveal only a week after estimates
was held that the department is facing unprecedented problems in a wide range of areas
and for there to have been absolutely no evidence to that effect at estimates is extraordinary."

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KEYWORD: DEFENCE LABOR

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