Senator ABETZ (Tasmania—Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Minister for Employment) (14:14): Can I update the hapless Deputy Leader of the Opposition and point out to him a statement made by Senator Edwards to this place only a matter of, I assume, less than an hour or so ago. It said: The assurance I sought— the one from the Prime Minister— was very simple. I asked for Australian companies like the ASC to have the right to compete for the Future Submarines project on merit. That is the very assurance I got, and that is the very assurance that stands today. Having been asked this question by Senator Conroy, who is, allegedly, ventilating concern about the submarine project for Australia, can I simply say that for six years nothing occurred. In one of the great master understatements—the master understatement ever—Senator Conroy himself admitted that the submarine project did not go as fast as everybody wanted. Can I tell you: it did not go at any speed. A government senator interjecting— Senator ABETZ: It was like Ayers Rock; it has not moved in ages. Similarly, your ASC project moved nowhere, went nowhere, because there was nothing that was guaranteed. But the finance minister who used to preside over the finances of this nation, Senator Wong from South Australia, saw the stripping of $16,000 million dollars out of the defence budget and then claimed, 'Shock, horror, there mightn't be enough money in the defence budget.' Can I ask: in the six years, under Labor, did they do anything about submarines? No. (Time expired)