‘Culture issues’ within the broader Defence leadership, says Richard Marles

Defence Minister Richard Marles has revealed that he believes there are some “issues of culture within the senior leadership” of his own department.

Sky News Australia Political Editor Andrew Clennell asked the Defence Minister about his reportedly closed-door meeting with Defence Secretary, Greg Moriarty, and Chief of the Defence Force, Angus Campbell calling for “excellence” from his department.

“What we need to see in terms of the leadership of the Australian Defence Force and the Department of Defence, and I’m not just talking about the two leaders (Mr Moriarty and Mr Campbell), but the broader leadership is that all that we do is done with excellence,” Mr Marles told Sky News Australia.

“That advice is timely. That advice is accurate.

“That we are expecting of ourselves the same amount of excellence that we would expect of somebody who’s in the infantry or somebody who is maintaining an aircraft where there is excellence and complete competence.

“Because I think there are issues of culture within the senior leadership and the more general leadership of the ADF and the department, which needs challenging,” Mr Marles responded.

“I’ve had complete collaboration with from both, the Secretary of Defence, and the CDF, there is an issue in relation to culture and we should be seeking to have a culture of absolute excellence.”