Mr NUGENT —My question is addressed to the Minister for Defence. Has the minister seen reports today claiming that the Australian Defence Force would no longer focus simply on defending continental Australia but would project force into north-east Asia if the current review were adopted by the government? Further, has the minister also seen claims that this would amount to the biggest shift in strategic thinking since the Vietnam War?

Mr Kerr —What about Tasmania?

Mr McLACHLAN —Get the member for Lyons to look after that. I thank the member for Aston for his question. I have seen the report in the Canberra Times . The only thing in that report on the front page of the Canberra Times that is not speculative is that I instructed the department to produce a strategic review. I did that within the early weeks of coming to government. It would be very surprising if I had not done so, for obvious reasons. One of the further reasons is, of course, that the defence white paper in 1994 did not come to grips with the impact of the end of the Cold War on our security and how Australia should respond to those changes. Like past strategic reviews, this review is classified. The government will not discuss the contents of the review but I can say that the review, like those before it, is about Australia's defence and security interests in the broad. It would be absurd, obviously, for it to focus on anything else. We will consider what form of public statement we will make, if any, in due course.

In the story on the front page, which is written by Mr McPhedran, he links three quite unconnected elements and says that the focus of the strategic review is on force projection into north Asia, which is an absurd proposition as a basis for our defence policy. He links this to next year's Tandem Thrust exercise, the planning for which, as honourable members opposite will know, began during the life of the last government. So it is hardly a new policy.

Mr Bevis —Oh, good! That is not what you said after—

Mr McLACHLAN —You did it and we took the credit for it.

Mr Beazley —He is almost as honest as you.

Mr McLACHLAN —We need a bit of honesty every now and then. He links this to a past revelation of his that we are acquiring cruise missiles for the submarines. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some thoughts on this matter, but it has not been considered by the government. Like so much of Mr McPhedran's reporting, it is wildly speculative and utterly worthless and I have to say, in as much as he does that, that article and that reporting do mischief to our standing with other countries in the region.