As the alignment of the mooning Ministers would have it.

The ministerial functions have appeared on the Defence Ministers (Triumvirate *) Homepage http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/ in the last hours. Which are:

Minister PAYNE (pronounced "PAIN") (Defence) is responsible for:
Strategic policy
ADF Operations
International Engagement
Budget
Defence White Paper implementation
Force Structure
Development of capability requirements
Capability/cost tradeoff during capability life cycle
Intelligence and Security
ICT (what is ICT? Insipid Cyber Technology?)
Science and Technology policy and support to operations

Minister PYNE (Defence Industry) responsible for:
Delivery of capability acquisition and sustainment projects
Development of Australian industry involvement during capability life cycle
Deliver Defence Industry agenda
Support and develop Australian Defence Industry
Encourage Australian Defence Industry involvement in global supply chains
Implementation of Naval Shipbuilding Plan
Centre for Defence Innovation
Defence Innovation Hub
Science and Technology engagement with Australian industry
Next Generation Technology Fund

Minister TEHAN (Veteran’s Affairs and Defence Personnel) responsible for:
Estate
Garrison and Personnel support
Estate and Equipment disposals
Military justice
Honours and Awards
ADF Cadets
Reserves
Parliamentary exchange program

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumvirate

Poida

God help us should we ever be dragged into another war. With those three paralytic pollies 'in (gulp) charge', what chance would we have if we were attacked by anyone more robust and adept then the local branch of the Country Women's Association? As a Veteran myself, I feel immensely sorry for our 'unrequited' armed service personnel, with these three Muppet's obstructing, constraining and incapacitating our Defence Force through their political ineptitude. While our Military is trying to prosecute any sort of defence of our Nation. The only good thing, our Armed Services will always do their best, in spite of these political idiots who simply get in the way. God bless 'em, is all that can be said?

I think it shows good sense to give Payne and Tehan the support of a very experienced Minister in Pyne. Would it be better to let them simply bumble along trying to manage the machinations of a very well oiled military bureaucracy alone?

The paper assumes that this will be chaotic, but I'm not sure that the case has been properly made.

One of the things that has become blindingly obvious in recent years is that many of our most important State functional units, at Federal and State level, have become very astute managers of public and political views. Police media units are well funded and staffed and very active in promoting Police; DHS plays the media game masterfully;health and education departments are often leading public debate with a somewhat uncritical media running to catch up.

Backgrounding and leaking and opinionating are standard practice and can leave politicians stranded on suddenly shaky ground.

If an experienced Minister is available and informed about issues, good counsel is always at hand. Give them a chance to bed things down before rushing to judgement. The division of responsibilities looks reasonable to me. Pyne has political as well as Ministerial responsibilities, so it makes sense to give him a possibly less demanding functional role.

Thanks to Gary Brown for this important piece - and "good get" for OLO. I might question the coyness of "...to deploy physical capabilities.." for eg "to apply deadly force for maximum effect..". National Security is under-valued - even when it gets maximum informed consideration. Under 'Mal' [etymology=bad] and his Company of Sad Clowns, we're sitting ducks.
[BTW, O Sung Wu, I wouldn't provoke the redoubtable CWA for all the tea in China - which shows why I'm not a soldier].

O sung wu,

I think the CWA would do a much better job.

Hi there GERRY of MENTONE and TTBN...

I have nothing but the highest regard for those wonderful ladies of our august CWA. And to even equate them among any politician is surely an anathema to any civilised culture, and for that I humbly apologise unreservedly ! Whenever certain politicians are mentioned, I immediately have this sense of a 'foul stench' of utter incompetency, until I obliterate their names right out of my mind.

All the years I did as a copper, my one and only wish was to see a special squad raised, and tasked uniquely with the interdiction and subsequent prosecution of ALL political crime(s); malfeasance or misfeasance...all of it, without fear or favor.