Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann

In December 2013 the Government announced its intention to investigate issues within the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) Program through a review.

The issues associated with this important program have been widely reported and are part of the legacy of unresolved issues which we have inherited from Labor.

Today the Government is pleased to announce that an independent review will be jointly conducted by former United States Secretary of Navy, Professor Don Winter, and former Transfield chief, Dr John White. 

We welcome the engagement of Professor Don Winter, former United States (US) Secretary of the Navy, and currently the Professor for Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan, to lead the review. As Secretary of the Navy, Professor Winter was responsible for all the affairs of the Department of Navy including construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities.

Professor Winter will be assisted by Dr John White. During his ten years as Chief Executive of Transfield Defence Systems, Dr White was responsible for privatisation of the Williamstown Naval Dockyard, the Australian Frigate Project, and tendering and implementation of the $5 billion ANZAC Frigate Project.

This important review is a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to working collaboratively and constructively to ensure we realise both the national security benefits and the long term benefits of the AWD Program for the Australian shipbuilding industry.

We expect that the outcomes of the review will be presented to Government for consideration around mid-year.