Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 49:57 to 55:48
The Australian Submarine Agency provides an opening statement on AUKUS progress followed by questioning on leadership transition timelines.
Topics: National security, Public service staffing
Speakers: Senator Fatima Payman, Speaker 1, Senator David Shoebridge, Hon Murray Watt, Unknown Speaker, Speaker 3
>> Come on. >> Let's get going. Hello. All right. Hello everyone. Good evening and welcome back. Now, I would like to welcome Vice Admiral Jonathan Meade, IORAN, who's the Director General of the Australian Submarine Agency. Hello Vice Admiral, how are you?
>> I'm very good, Chair, and it's great to be back here again.
>> Excellent. Excellent. Love that. And good to see you again.
>> Yes.
>> And also good evening to all your officers as well too here. Now, did you have an opening statement by any chance?
>> I do, but in noticing that you have a number of other agencies to go through, I might just do a very abbreviated summary of that just to set the context.
>> And did you have one already prepared that you might be able to circulate with the committee? Yeah, okay. Well, let's do that. We'll table that version. And but if there's a high level that you'd like to talk at or talk to, I'd appreciate that. Thank you.
>> So, thank you for allowing me to make an opening statement and we are clearly pleased to be uh before you at this quite significant point in the delivery of the AUKUS optimal pathway. As you know, this week we welcomed USS Colorado to HMAS Stirling for our fourth submarine maintenance period. At the same time this week, the three uh ministers made the announcement that USS Colorado would be the first US Virginia-class submarine that would operate uh as part of the Surface Rotating Forces in approximately just over 12 months' time. With each maintenance period, Australian personnel are building the skills, experience, and confidence needed to support this rotational presence while critical infrastructure upgrades at Stirling continue to prepare the base for 2027. Today, nearly 110 Australians, many of them trained at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, are applying those skills across Australia's submarine enterprise and collectively supporting the maintenance of SSN USS Colorado, demonstrating the growing maturity of Australia's sovereign submarine workforce. The next chapter is Surface West, and we are ready for it. We are already seeing that tangible transition take place. Surface West is not just on track, it is 5 years on, the strategic rationale remains compelling for AUKUS, and the results are becoming increasingly tangible through growth in our workforce, infrastructure, industry, and capability. But in closing, I would like to make the point that those things that hurt us also instruct. For that reason, the Australian Submarine Agency acknowledges and respects the challenges we face. We welcome the instructions that these challenges bring with them. Our continuing test is to identify them early, confront them honestly, and act on them decisively. That mindset guides the Australian submarine agency. Like our AUKUS partners, we have adopted a mindset to be self-aware, self-critical, self-correcting, and self-sustaining as we strengthen the Australian enterprise. Alongside our AUKUS partners, absolute confidence, relentless attention to detail, and unyielding intellectual honesty remain fundamental to how we approach Thank you, Chair. I welcome the committee's questions.
>> Thanks, Vice Admiral. Now, Senator Bligh, did you have some questions you want to kick off with?
>> I am happy for Senator Shoebridge to have the call if he's here. If not, I can take 5 minutes. I'm in your hands, Chair.
>> Okay. Generally, I go the opposition first, but happy to go to Senator Shoebridge. So, yeah, Senator Shoebridge.
>> All right. That That thanks. Um thanks, good to see you, um Admiral Mead.
>> Thank you very much, Senator. Good to see you.
>> Keep thinking this will be your last estimate.
>> Well, I didn't think it would be, but we had tears in our eyes last time when we were departing.
And now you're back again. Yeah, I know. You're You're just You're drawing this out. Um Is there a um >> Is Is there a time frame um in terms of your replacement, and what's been the discussion with you?
>> Yeah. So, uh I remain the Director General. Uh the government uh is uh looking for a a replacement. Um Until that time, I remain the Director General of the Australian Submarine Agency.
>> And has the government given you a time frame to allow you to sort of organize your life?
not really. Um and I think they're doing the right thing. They want to select the right person. Um so, um I'm proud to be in this position. It's a privileged position to be in, to be part of the ASA, to lead the most complex and demanding endeavor any government's undertaken. so I'll remain here at government's pleasure.
>> Uh Minister, can you provide any timeframe for the um replacement of Admiral Mead? And what's the process to replace Admiral Mead?
I'm not in a position to provide a timeframe um as Admiral Mead has indicated there is a process underway uh and I'm sure that will be completed in due course.
>> What is the process?
>> Um I'll see if I have any information on that. um feel free to pose another question while I review my notes.
>> Thanks, Minister.