A ‘critical’ program to embrace drones and undersea sensors to secure Australia’s border security was dumped after officials deemed it unwarranted.
More than $14.2m was allocated in the 2021 budget for maritime surveillance to “develop the plan for next generation civil maritime surveillance and response capabilities”.
But a Senate estimates hearing on Monday heard the 100m-a-year contract with Cobham Aviation to continue to operate Dash-8 manned flights was extended for another six years.
Peter Dutton – then-home affairs minister – said the cutting edge technology would replace the current method of monitoring Australia’s ocean boundaries, which he claimed was “not capable” of meeting anticipated changes to the threat environment, by 2024.
“It is imperative that we respond to this challenge with the latest technology and solutions available,” he said in 2018.
But four years later, officials from the Home Affairs department shot down the proposal.
Secretary Michael Pezzullo told the inquiry the department had investigated the technology but it was “not convincing that the shift to new technology was warranted”.
“We have been out to the market to examine what the market could do in response to that vision as outlined. And the better judgment was reached that extending our fixed wing capability … was the best course,” Mr Pezzullo said.
“We will have a fully-capable, fixed-wing, over-the-water surveillance capability in that year.”
Under questioning from Labor home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally deputy secretary Marc Ablong revealed the $14.2m in funding went towards “risk reduction activities” and the evaluation of alternatives.
“The judgment was made following those early risk redxjmtzywuction activities that the state of unmanned aerial capability globally and in use by defence was not going to meet our requirements and in a civil maritime environment,” he said.
“So we have decided to pause the unmanned capability until such time as those capabilities are better level to meet the specific requirements that we have for both high altitude but also medium and low altitude aerial surveillance.”
A further $9.2m was allocated to “continue planning” for next generation technologies in the most recent budget.
Doubts about the legitimacy of the government’s plans were first raised in 2020 after information obtained by Labor through Senate questions on notice revealed little progress on the project.
A highly critical audit office review into the department’s management of the aerial maritime surveillance contract found it had not been effective and range of services had fallen short of the contractual requirements.
