Mr ABBOTT (Warringah—Prime Minister) (14:31): No-one regrets more than I do that we cannot afford to pay people more at this time. No-one regrets that more than I do. I have been to Defence base after Defence base over the last 14 months. I have visited our defence forces in all sorts of different contexts. I deeply respect—nay, I revere—our defence forces. No-one is more deserving of the best possible deal than our defence forces. But it comes a little ill of the Leader of the Opposition, who helped to put us into the parlous fiscal position that we are in, to complain about the necessary consequences of the situation that he created. This is someone who not only knifed two prime ministers but played a large part in the economic policies of the former government which gave us debt and deficits stretching out as far as the eye can see. Mr Burke: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: surely on a question about our Defence Force the Prime Minister can be relevant. The SPEAKER: The question was a very wide ranging one and, when asked for action which is anticipated by the Leader of the Opposition as appropriate, the Prime Minister is perfectly entitled to answer it. A government member interjecting— Mr Fitzgibbon: He is interjecting again, Madam Speaker, while you were speaking. The SPEAKER: The member for Hunter, who was also interjecting, can leave under 94(a). Mr Fitzgibbon: Madam Speaker, the Leader of the House was making a point of order complaining that members were interjecting on you while you were speaking. He has done nothing but— The SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat and leave under 94(a.) The member for Hunter then left the chamber. Mr Burke: Madam Speaker, a point of order— The SPEAKER: Is the Manager of Opposition Business anxious to join the member for Hunter? Mr Burke: No, I am not. But if I have the call I will take a point of order? The SPEAKER: Indeed. Mr Burke: How is the member for Hunter meant to resume his seat and leave the room? The SPEAKER: He can do it sequentially. It is quite clever. Mr ABBOTT: The job of the Minister for Defence is to ensure that our Defence Force personnel have the best possible deal under all the circumstances. I can assure members opposite that no-one in the public sector will be getting a better deal than our Defence Force personnel, because our Defence Force personnel deserve the very best from the Australian people and the Australian government. The SPEAKER: The member for Griffith will leave under 94(a). The member for Griffith then left the chamber. Mr ABBOTT: They will get much better from this particular government than they did from the last one, which cut $16 billion off them and reduced defence spending as a percentage of GDP to the lowest level since 1938.