The Commonwealth government overturned decades of tradition in February when it released a Defence White Paper (DWP), Defence Industry Policy Statement (DIPS) and Defence Integrated Investment Program (DIIP) that promised fundamental changes to the way that it acquires defence equipment and engages with Australian industry.

Those changes include Defence's own internal re-structure and a closer relationship with the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, which will have carriage of many of the measures announced in the DIPS. Following the first board meeting on November 18 of the new Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC) in Adelaide, we are at most a few weeks away from seeing Canberra's plans become reality.