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May 4, 2026
The Albanese government has been called out in an extraordinary statement by the independent Auditor General over Labor’s secrecy on major defence projects.
Defence Minister Richard Marles must immediately instruct his department to resume providing information to the ANAO as part of the Defence Major Projects Report (MPR).
Under Labor, the Defence Department has withheld information required by the auditor to conduct its work, claiming that it cannot disclose such information on national security grounds, despite the ANAO providing defence audits to Parliament for 18 years.
Information that was routinely provided under the previous Coalition government, and was effectively used by the previous Labor opposition to hold the Coalition to account for delays in major projects, has been deemed too sensitive to share for the first time on this government’s watch.
The Auditor-General noted in its response to the Senate’s request:
“As a result of Defence’s removal of information, transparency has diminished, as has the ANAO’s ability to provide meaningful analysis in the report.
And:
“In light of the growing non-disclosure of information, I have come to the conclusion that the MPR is no longer fit for purpose as the vehicle to bring the transparency and accountability that it has in the past.”
In the most dangerous strategic environment since WWII, Australians deserve transparency about how taxpayers' money is spent to acquire defence capability. By effectively cancelling the Defence Major Projects Report, the Albanese government is hiding delays in acquiring new defence capability and keeping Australians in the dark.
Richard Marles must end the cover up and instruct his department today to resume full cooperation with the ANAO to facilitate the vital scrutiny and oversight role of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit.
ANAO letter to President of the Senate:
ENDS