Senate demands answers on Navy ships needed in Debbie response

To move—That the Senate—

   a) notes with concern reports that the Royal Australian Navy’s two largest ships, the Canberra Class Amphibious Assault Ships HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide, have engine problems and have been unable to join the emergency response to Cyclone Debbie;

   b) notes that:

      i Canberra Class Amphibious Assault Ships are our key asset for humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations, and

      ii HMAS Canberra was conducting trials with the United States’ Marine Corps as recently as last week; and

   c) calls on the Australian Government to explain why our premier HADR assets were not available to respond to a long-forecast potential disaster situation.