Government actively tackling defence projects of concern – Conroy

The federal government is ‘cleaning up the mess’ left by the previous government of defence projects that have fallen behind schedule or going over budget, according to the Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy.

Conroy held a Projects of Concern Summit in Canberra yesterday to discuss the Civil Military Air Traffic Management System (OneSky-CMATS) Project and how to remediate the delivery of this important capability.

A partnership between Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence, OneSKY will replace the independent civil and Defence air traffic management systems with an integrated system known as the Civil Military Air Traffic Management System (CMATS).

CMATS has featured in projects of concern in previous years, with Canberra leading the collaborative development of a project remediation plan throughout 2023 and a revised delivery strategy for the project being executed.

Conroy said in a statement that the summits were an important forum for senior stakeholders to meaningfully engage and agree on remediation activities.

This is the seventh Projects of Concern Summit held since the Albanese Government came to office two-and-a-half-years ago.

“This approach is in stark contrast to the record of the former Coalition Government, which held only four Projects of Concern Summits during almost a decade in office.

“The increasing frequency of these summits demonstrates the Government’s commitment to take action and address problems arising in the delivery of complex projects.

“It is part of the Government’s plan to strengthen and revitalise Defence’s projects of concern process.”

Conroy said top-level focus was critical to getting this project back on track.

“I’m pleased to say there is strong commitment from all parties to move forward and resolve outstanding issues.

“When we came to government we inherited at least 28 projects running a combined 97 years behind schedule.

“Regular summits are one part of our approach to cleaning up the mess left by the former government.”

Picture: Airservices Australia/Civil Military Air Traffic Management System