MOTIONS › Defence Procurement, Minister for Defence
Mr BURKE ( Watson — Manager of Opposition Business ) ( 09:19 ): I second the motion. Rather than defend the Defence minister the government have decided they would rather shut down debate. We have given them the opportunity today for the Prime Minister to come into this chamber and decide whether or not they have a Defence minister worth defending. One by one, they have all lined up and said, 'No'. They would rather not have the debate. They would rather not have the discussion or be forced into a situation where someone on that side has to claim, 'We have a fit and proper person in the Defence portfolio.' Last night, the Prime Minister of Australia hung his own defence minister out to dry. We had the member for Mayo going out as a member of the executive, completely disowning the comments of the Minister for Defence. We have Senator Birmingham completely disowning the comments of the Minister for Defence. We have the Prime Minister, in a statement, distancing himself from it. This is now a test of leadership for the Prime Minister of Australia. Either he backs his defence minister or he backs his federal Liberal MPs. The Prime Minister, if he has no confidence in the defence minister, should accept the challenge to get rid of his defence minister. Just think: we have a defence minister showing no confidence at all in Australia's capacity to build our own submarines, with everything that means—and the defence that he put up on radio this morning! I never thought I would hear a defence minister for our nation use this line: That was a rhetorical flourish that I don't want to be taken literally. The Minister for Defence on radio said to Australia and to the world, 'Please do not take me seriously.' He has also apologised to the South Australian opposition leader, Stephen Marshall, saying: I'm happy to apologise if he is offended by this … When he was told that some of his colleagues want his job, that they could do a better job, he said, 'Of course everybody would say that.' Opposition members interjecting— Mr BURKE: Yes, they would. Yes, they would—because of all the people, of all the jobs where somebody might be a situation where you would think they would be backing in— An honourable member interjecting— Mr BURKE: I have just been told, just while people were starting to vote, that there is apparently a reason why the Leader of the House was late—although he did get to the chamber in time. He was apparently in a radio interview and he was asked to express confidence in the defence minister in that radio interview. He did not take the opportunity. Opposition members interjecting— Mr BURKE: He did not take the opportunity to express confidence in the defence minister. No doubt he is working on a petition right now to work out what should happen to the defence minister. We have the embarrassment of a government in chaos in front of us now. Of all the portfolios where you cannot afford chaos, it should be that of the defence of the nation. It should be the defence minister. We have a very happy, smiling pretender here at the table right now, seeing opportunity right in front of him. But there is no opportunity here for the Australian Defence Force if there is a defence minister who no-one has any confidence in. There is no opportunity for the people of South Australia if our own workers are being bagged and having their work put down by the defence minister of Australia. On 22 October the defence minister did not attend the national security meeting of cabinet. When asked why, he told a Senate estimates hearing that the reason he had not attended was: 'I was not going to add too much to what was going to inform the National Security Committee.' Opposition members interjecting— Mr BURKE: Even the defence minister knows he has nothing to offer. Liberal MPs know he has nothing to offer. The SPEAKER: Those on my left should give respect to their own speaker. Mr BURKE: The Prime Minister of Australia refuses to back him in and yet no-one has the courage to say to the defence minister, 'It is time to move on. 'This is a government that has gone for something in the order of 250 days since we have had an Assistant Treasurer. Now we discover we have a defence minister who they do not want either. The Prime Minister should be called into the chamber now. The Prime Minister should come into the chamber and make clear whether or not this defence minister is going to stay or whether Australia is going to have the humiliation of a defence minister no-one will defend. (Time expired)