Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Minister, for joining us today. I also want to welcome Associate Minister Findlay to our committee and to her new role in the government. Congratulations on your appointment.
Minister, I recognize that you've made a correction we've just received this moment, but you will understand that it's caused a considerable confusion with respect to the allocation of government moneys of large amounts. Of the $1.4 billion increase requested here, in respect of authorities, at least half is related to the Manuge settlement and another several hundred million is related to one-time severance obligations.
I want to question the allocation to external contractors and professionals. Even before the supplementary estimates came out, retired General Andrew Leslie had been critical of the fact that the number of external consultants and contractors the department uses has been increased rather than reduced. General Leslie quoted a figure of $450 million as a result of this increase.
Can you respond to that, please? It was a very significant recommendation in his transformation report, one that put numbers on things that a lot of people were concerned about.