SENATOR JOHN FAULKNER
Minister for Defence
THE HON. GREG COMBET MP
Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science
Monday, 23 November 2009
050/2009
APPOINTMENT OF NEW CEO FOR ASC
Senator John Faulkner, Minister for Defence, and Greg Combet, Minister for
Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, today welcomed the appointment
of Mr Stephen Ludlam to the position of Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer of ASC Pty Ltd.
“As head of the largest Australian owned defence prime, Mr Ludlam will be
critical to the success of key Defence projects, and we look forward to working
with him,” Senator Faulkner said.
ASC is the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) shipbuilder, responsible for the
construction of the $8 billion AWDs at their dedicated, state-of-the-art shipyard
at Osborne, South Australia.
This project is the largest defence acquisition ever pursued by Australia.
ASC are also the prime contractor for Through Life Support of the Collins
Class Submarines.
“With the appointment of Mr. Ludlam we would expect a renewed focus on
supporting the Collins Class Submarines,” Mr Combet said.
“The Collins Class Submarines are a key capability for the Australian Defence
Force; unfortunately Government has been concerned by the current
availability of the submarine fleet.”
Submarine maintenance issues are the top issue on the Defence Materiel’s
Projects of Concern list. In addition, a very senior DMO executive, Mr Kim
Gillis, has been assigned full time to resolve the Collins sustainment issues.
Mr. Ludlam’s announcement should be seen as another clear sign of progress
in improving submarine availability.
Media contacts:
Colin Campbell (John Faulkner):
02 6277 7800 or 0407 787 181
Rod Hilton (Greg Combet)
02 6277 7620 or 0407 787 181
Defence Media Liaison:
02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
