Defence hit by $15.6m in missile contract blunders as Conroy targets 'rot'
Australia's Defence Department has uncovered over $15.6 million in unauthorized payments and procurement errors within its flagship missile program. The government plans to address these failures by folding the program into a new agency by 2027.
Why it matters
The mismanagement of multi-billion dollar defense contracts raises concerns about government oversight and the efficiency of national security spending.
Pat Conroy has acknowledged the payment errors. ( ABC News: Adam Kennedy )
Defence files have unmasked more than $15.6 million in unauthorised contractor payments within Australia's flagship missile program.
The government has conceded the errors and is using the compliance failures to justify greater oversight of spending.
The program, known as Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Group, will be folded into the new Defence Delivery Agency starting in July 2027.
Link copied Share Share article Defence officials behind Australia's flagship missile program racked up at least $15.6 million in financial and procurement blunders, a freedom of information document shows, including paying out $13.3 million before securing basic legal sign-off.
The defence file exposes a pattern of basic accounting and administrative failures within the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Group (GWEO), the $36 billion initiative designed to manufacture and stockpile advanced weapons and ammunition on Australian soil.
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