changes to Australia's defence buying system

From Australian ABC news service:

The way Australia buys weapons and defence gear is getting a major overhaul, with former Rio Tinto chief Kellie Parker hired to run the country's new Defence Delivery Agency.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will announce today that Parker will become the new National Armaments Director — effectively making her Australia's chief weapons buyer.

For decades, defence procurement has been bogged down by massive budget blowouts and severe delays. To fix this, the Albanese government is transforming its purchasing division into an independent agency — known as the Defence Delivery Agency — starting July 2027.

By hiring a veteran mining executive accustomed to delivering complex, multi-billion-dollar infrastructure under strict commercial pressures, the government is hoping to inject real-world business discipline into the ADF.

Parker takes on the role in November 2026 before the agency goes fully live in July 2027.