Last night I spoke with my United Kingdom counterpart, Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin MP about the importance of working with key partners during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
I spoke with pride about Australia's defence sector working extremely hard to keep their businesses operating safely throughout COVID-19.
Rather than slowing down or stopping defence capability programs, Australian industry has safely adapted their work routines and safety practices to enable business to continue.
We also discussed the Hunter Class Frigate Program - the largest defence acquisition Australia has undertaken in partnership with the UK.
I reaffirmed Australia's commitment to this program and emphasised the opportunities for our two countries to continue to work together on our frigate programs.
The conversation was a great opportunity to discuss the support available to Australian industry to export, particularly to markets like the UK.
I emphasised the world-leading capability offered by the Bushmaster and asked Minister Quin to keep me updated on the UK's Multi-Role Vehicle-Protected Program.
We are both looking forward to further discussions when we reconvene the Australia-UK Defence industry Dialogue later this year.
