Christopher Pyne takes up role as EY defence consultant

Former defence minister and self-declared “fixer” Christopher Pyne has resurfaced with a new job.

Then defence minister Christopher Pyne at the keel laying ceremony for the first of the RAN’s Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Former defence minister Christopher Pyne has joined the payroll of big four consulting firm EY to beef up its opportunity to win business amid a $200 billion government investment program.

Mr Pyne, the self-declared “fixer” who resigned as the South Australian member for Sturt before the last election, was the most senior moderate in the Liberal Party before his departure following 26 years in parliament.

His new role will be in addition to his job as industry professor at the University of South Australia.

“I’m looking forward to providing strategic advice to EY, as the firm looks to expand its footprint in the defence industry,” Mr Pyne told The Australian.

EY defence industry leader Mark Stewart said he had engaged Mr Pyne to assist the company as it ramped up its defence bonafides “ahead of a surge in consolidation activity and the largest expansion of our military capability in our peacetime history - $200 billion over ten years out to 2026 with an ambition to build Australian science, technology, engineering, innovation and industrial capability.

“Christopher Pyne is also here to help lead conversations about what South Australia as a state need to do to meet the challenges and opportunities this huge defence investment will bring,” Mr Stewart said.

There are about 3000 defence businesses across the economy, but large domestic defence players were actively looking for mergers to bulk up to deliver on the government’s investment program, while multinational firms were also shopping for acquisitions to scale their onshore delivery capability, he said.

Since 2017,EY has won more than $80 million worth of work through more than 40 contracts with Defence. Among the foreign companies investing into Australia are Boeing’s investment in Loyal Wingman in Brisbane, Northrop Grumman’s $50m investment at the Nancy Bird Walton Airport in western Sydney, and Lockheed Martin’s laboratories in Melbourne.

Mr Pyne entered the parliament in 1993 and had served as the Liberal Party’s chief tactician over the last decade. He became Leader of the House when Tony Abbott won government in 2013 and also served in senior portfolios including Education, Industry, Defence Industry and Defence. Elected at 26, he was one of the youngest MPs to appear in the parliament.