Minister for Defense Joel Fitzgibbon of Australia

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Before entering politics Fitzgibbon was an automotive electrician, electorate officer, part-time technical education lecturer and small business operator.

Fitzgibbon was elected to the Opposition Shadow Ministry in October 1998 and was Shadow Minister for Mining, Energy and Forestry in 2003-05.

In early December 2006, when Kevin Rudd became Leader of the Opposition, Fitzgibbon was appointed Shadow Minister for Defence.

In 2008 Fitzgibbon expressed dissatisfaction with an unclassified briefing he received on an assessment of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF.

Despite the poor results of the recent Pacific Vision Wargames exercise in Hawaii, Mr Fitzgibbon said he was convinced the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was the right.

Joel Fitzgibbon was first elected to the Federal Parliament as Member for Hunter in March 1996 and, in October 1998, was appointed Shadow Minister for Small Business and Tourism.

The soldier killed in Afghanistan last week was truly an Australian hero, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said on Sunday.

Mr Fitzgibbon was speaking at Private Greg Shers funeral at the Jewish cemetery in Lyndhurst, Melbournes south-east.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says he is alarmed by reports that thousands of Royal Australian Navy sailors could have been exposed to cancer-causing asbestos.

CANBERRA, Dec 1 (Xinhua) -- Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said Monday that the seven Australian soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan will not have died in vain.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has welcomed an Iraqi parliament resolution.

Mr Fitzgibbon says there must be a coherent, well-resourced and.

The Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says he is optimistic European nations will again consider boosting their troop commitment to Afghanistan.

auFederal Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has criticised the Opposition over its push to give decommissioned Leopard tanks to RSL clubs.

politics, federal-government, australia, au-news, joel-fitzgibbon, veterans, rsl-clubs, liberal-party, tanks, military11 Abolish states to avoid duplication: FitzgibbonJul 3 - Seeded by Red WolfSource: Australian Broadcasting CorporationDefence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has described Australia as the most over-governed country in the world and has called for the abolition of the states.

politics, joel-fitzgibbon, australia, au-news, state-government, federal-government10 Fitzgibbon wants to keep SMArt cluster shellsMay 29 - Seeded by Red WolfSource: Australian Broadcasting CorporationDefence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says Australia can keep one type of cluster munition, despite a draft ban treaty agreed on in Ireland overnight.

Mr Fitzgibbon said a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Dr Juwono Sudarsono, for the first time in Canberra today provided a timely opportunity to advance defence engagement and cooperation.

Australia and Indonesia have a confident and maturing defence relationship, based on a foundation of mutual respect and trust, Mr Fitzgibbon said in a statement.

Mr Fitzgibbon said the new joint understandings on defence co-operation between Australia and Indonesia would be guided by the Lombok Treaty which reflected the strengthening relationship between the two countries.

SHUTTING down the Navy for the summer holidays is a way of retaining sailors, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says.

From here you can use the Social Web links to save Joel Fitzgibbon says measure will retain sailors to a social bookmarking site.

Badgerys Creek has been struck off the list and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said that Williamtown should be regarded as a major regional airport and not a.

But a spokesman for Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says any speculation regarding the audit is just that, until the final report is.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon is examining the draft independent audit, designed to bring the department into line with.

Mr Fitzgibbon says he believes diplomacy and engagement will be given greater priority by the Obama administration.

Troops not leaving Afghanistan by 2012: Fitzgibbon Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has played down reports that Australian troops will be out of Afghanistan by 2012.

Australia's exclusion from the strategic planning process in Afghanistan, notwithstanding the country's status as the largest non-NATO contributor of troops to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), was another unpleasant surprise.

After the Rudd government produced its first budget on 13 May, Fitzgibbon said defence had received enough funding to support present requirements and to lay the groundwork for the next decade.

Fitzgibbon said that fiscal planning in defence required realism about what could be achieved over a certain period.

BRUSSELS, Dec 1 (UPI) -- Further delivery delays leave United Kingdom scrambling; BAE Hawk jet trainers also delayed; Australia and Spain cooperate on defense tech programs; Honeywell lands Finmeccanica trainer subcontract.

mounting) for every tax-paying family of four in the country.

Fitzgibbon values Australias securityJuly 16, 2008 Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has told a US meeting of defence experts that Australia was more concerned about its own security than that of Iraq or Afghanistan.

Tough job ahead in AfghanistanSeptember 4, 2008 Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has admitted that the job in Afghanistan will only get harder following a Taliban attack left nine people injured.

JOEL FITZGIBBON MP Member for HunterMinister for Defence      Joel Fitzgibbon is a local to the Hunter Electorate having lived in Cessnock all of his life.

Australia has not been able to effectively combat it, so can you imagine for East Timor? Australian Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said earlier this week he would investigate the matter further.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has supported comments by the commander of British forces in Afghanistan that the war against the Taliban is unwinnable.

Mr Fitzgibbon said yesterday he agreed with comments by Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith that a military victory over the Taliban is neither feasible nor supportable.

In answer to questions from The Australian, Mr Fitzgibbon said hewas not surprised by Brigadier Carleton-Smiths comments, and agreed with them.

And when it comes to Afghanistan, I think it's very clear - both from our conversations today, conversations that Minister Fitzgibbon has had with the Secretary in Edinburgh and in Vilnius, and conversations I had in the United States with the administration - that we are at one in believing that Afghanistan needs to have both a combat or military effort and the international effort, particularly from NATO countries, needs to be greater, but it also needs to have those capacity-building matters that I referred to.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has met NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe to discuss the war in Afghanistan.

But Mr Fitzgibbon took the opportunity to highlight Australia's contribution to fighting the resurgent Taliban.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has played down reports that Australian troops will be out of Afghanistan by 2012.

Australian forces are in Afghanistan for the long haul, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said this morning.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon is examining the draft independent audit, designed to bring the department into line with the Rudd Governments efficiency demands.

Minister Fitzgibbon was sworn in as the defense minister on December 3, 2007.

Since 1998, Minister Fitzgibbon has served on the Labor front bench in a number of portfolios.

After his remarks, Minister Fitzgibbon took audience questions.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon had to say.

Fitzgibbon said the coalition needs more political advisers, more training for the Afghan police and army and a senior envoy to coordinate the reconstruction effort, a proposal Gates has endorsed as well.