Spending ‘key to defence’

Press, 7 August 1979, Page 3

Spending ‘key to defence’

PA Wellington Steady investment in defence was the key to Anzac defence co-oper-ation, said a communique issued yesterday after the Australian and New Zealand Defence Ministers met at Canberra. A text, of the document, issued in Wellington yesterday, said that New Zealand’s Defence Minister (Mr Gill) and his Australian counterpart (Mr D. J. Killen) reaffirmed the close relationship between Australia and New Zealand.

The Ministers also emphasised' the continuing effort of both countries to maintain their well-developed bilateral defence co-operation. They were satisfied with the progress in defining the stope for defence supply cooperation, and in developing practical arrangements for that. They noted New Zealand’s progress in the development of defence industrial policy. The Ministers noted the exchange of views at the recent A.N.Z.U.S. council on the important contribution that the supply and support of defence material by the United States made to the capacity of Australian and New Zealand defence forces for self-reliant combat capability, and thus to the achievement of broad A.N.Z.U.S. interests in .the region. r.