ACT Welcomes Defence Amendment Bill

ACT New Zealand Defence Spokesman John Banks today welcomed the tabling of the 'Defence Amendment Bill' by Defence Minister Wayne Mapp.

"The Defence White Paper, in which ACT Minister Hon Heather Roy played a leading role, identified amendments to the Defence Act 1990 to enable the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) to work together more effectively and efficiently," Mr Banks said.

"The Defence Amendment Bill proposes increased collaboration between the NZDF and MoD on managing defence capability and gives the Chief of the Defence Force more authority to directly manage the Navy, Army, and Air Force.

"This Bill is a step closer to the reintegration of the NZDF and MoD, as recommended in the Hunn Report, for which ACT has long campaigned. The report calls for reintegration to reverse the policy of separation of civilian and military responsibility as the system has been labouring under severe difficulties since its inception.

"New Zealand's Defence Force is only as strong as its weakest link. The NZDF and MoD should be fully reintegrated to ensure there are no gaps in our fence," Mr Banks said.

ENDS

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