The departure of the head of the Defence Capability Group, Air Marshall John Harvey, is another worrying sign of Labor’s deteriorating relationship with Defence.

The sudden and unexplained departure of Air Marshall Harvey last month, to take up ‘gardening leave’, is a sign that all is not well in Defence procurement.

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Materiel Senator Gary Humphries said today, “this development, on top of the sudden resignation of former Defence Materiel Or... ganisation boss Stephen Gumley in July last year, suggests that Labor Ministers are at war with elements of their Department.

“The pace of Defence acquisition under this government has faltered to the point where the achievement of the 2009 Defence White Paper goals are now seriously at risk," Senator Humphries said.

“The loss of the two most important figures in the Defence acquisition process in the space of six months spells real trouble for Labor’s management of this multi-billion dollar annual program. Air Marshall Harvey was widely recognised as a highly competent leader of the Defence Capability Group.

“The Government is forcing a new, costly, bureaucratic overlay onto the Defence procurement process, in the form of two new associate secretary positions as part of its response to the Black Review into Defence accountability.

“Is the departure of these two key figures in Defence acquisition a mere coincidence, or is the government encountering resistance to its ad hoc changes in Defence?

“Relations between the government and Defence are at an all time low, as the bungled suspension of Commodore Bruce Kafer at the Australian Defence Force Academy last April demonstrated.

“This turmoil in Defence procurement will not help Australia meet its strategic challenges in the region. Labor needs to spell out clear plans to improve performance in this area, something they have been unable to do thus far”, Senator Humphries concluded.