About David
David served in the Australian Defence Force for over 22 years. An Army pilot, he flew helicopters and fixed wing aircraft and was the Senior Flying Instructor at the School of Army Aviation in Queensland.
Graduating as an experimental test pilot from the Empire Test Pilots’ School (UK), he finished his full time career in Defence as the Commanding Officer of the RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit.
Elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Wakefield (SA) in 2004, he served in the Parliament until 2007. David continued to fly as a test pilot and ran a small business working in the Defence and Aviation sectors prior to being elected to the Senate in 2010, 2016 and again in 2019.
In the (45th) Parliament, David was sworn as the Assistant Minister for Defence.
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NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific (AUS, JPN, RoK, NZ)—known as the IP4—have become increasingly relevant to security considerations by NATO member nations.
Unprecedented direct involvement by North Korea and dual-use support by China for the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, in combination with recent grey-zone (hybrid warfare) events in Northern Europe, have focussed stakeholders in Europe on the interconnected nature of strategic interests between our respective regions.
I had the opportunity last week to lead an Indo-Pacific delegation to Brussels, Hamburg and Berlin facilitated by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung along with colleagues from the Republic of Korea and New Zealand—the Japanese delegate having to withdraw at late notice.
My thanks to representatives of NATO, the EU Parliament and Commission, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the German Bundestag and various think tanks for their constructive engagement.
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle”. Edmund Burke ... See MoreSee Less
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Australia faces the most uncertain times since the Second World War. While in office, the Coalition recognised that the strategic circumstances required a priority investment in strike capability and missile defence.
Decisions were made to set in train the legal and engineering works required as the first steps in procuring three key types of naval missiles: the Tomahawk, the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6).
As Defence officials highlighted during Estimates recently, the acquisition of such advanced capabilities is a lengthy process requiring technical upgrades to the ships involved.
Following successful modifications and test firings, these missiles are now being delivered and will drastically improve the deterrence and lethality of the Royal Australian Navy.
The procurement of the Tomahawk cruise missile by Australia was first announced by the former Coalition Government as a part of the AUKUS announcement in September 2021. The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) acquisition was announced by then Defence Minister Peter Dutton in April 2022.
As highlighted in Estimates, the SM-6 missiles are also the result of decisions by former Coalition Defence Ministers. It is pleasing to see these programs come to fruition following these successful milestone launches.
The Coalition recognised the need for enhanced missile capability, and we acted to ensure that this was delivered. You can watch videos of the successful test launches of the Tomahawk, NSM and SM-6 (link in comments). ... See MoreSee Less
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Tomahawk launch: youtu.be/qOdb3Te_48c NSM launch: youtu.be/hHENjUZSHBA SM-6 launch: youtu.be/nozdcCO22r0 Senate Estimates exchange on GWEO: youtu.be/4dn7iVZ6ml4
Tomahawk missiles is great step forward. However our nuclear submarines need to be armed with nuclear missiles, that’s what nuclear submarines are all about. Without nuclear missiles they are not a deterrent.
Sadly, we need to be ready.
The latest National Accounts data reflects the pain Australian families are feeling as they try to make ends meet. Our economy just recorded the weakest annual growth since 1991—outside of the pandemic.
The data shows that GDP per capita has gone backwards for seven consecutive quarters (the longest household recession on record).
After nearly three years of bad decisions and the wrong priorities, Australians are worse off under Labor.
Labor's mismanagement and bad policy is sending our economy in the wrong direction.
The Coalition will get Australia back on track by boosting investment, increasing competition, cutting government waste and red tape, rebuilding business, lowering taxes, and delivering secure, low emissions energy.
#economy #costofliving #Australia ... See MoreSee Less
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I endorse the following statement by Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham and Shadow Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Claire Chandler on the Albanese Government's decision to abandon our key democratic ally, Israel. ... See MoreSee Less
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Matthew 5:9 (King James Version): Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
The problem that some people in the coalition have, is that they see only one issue here, when there are many. It is possible to be supportive of Israel while at the same time expressing grave concerns about the behaviour of the Israeli military. I guess people's inability to do this has its origins in an irrational belief in Israeli exceptionalism, held by an ever decreasing proportion of Australians
If it was 1939 this gov would side with Germany