Mr CONROY (Shortland) (15:47): This MPI is about focus and delivery—delivering for the Australian people. The member for Bruce has already outlined how this government has comprehensively failed to deliver for the Australian people during the pandemic. They failed to deliver a national quarantine system. They failed to deliver vaccines on time when the Australian population needed them. They failed to deliver RATs. And they're failing right now in aged care—the member for Bruce covered all this—and this is an inexcusable failure by this government. But I want to concentrate on something else that's been canvassed a lot in question time today, which is this government's failure on the most important duty of a federal government—that is, ensuring the defence and national security of this nation. They love to drape the flag around themselves. They love to hide behind khaki when it comes close to an election. And you saw the disgraceful effort from the defence minister today—disgraceful; utterly unprecedented. It's a brave choice by the Liberal Party, given their great hero is Robert Gordon Menzies, a man known to be a Nazi appeaser—a man known to have advocated for doing a deal with Hitler 10 days after Poland was invaded. Ten days after Poland was invaded— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Llew O'Brien ): The member will pause. The member for Riverina? Mr McCormack: I'm afraid the member at the dispatch box should withdraw that slur against the former Prime Minister. Mr Conroy interjecting— Mr McCormack: No way! That is unacceptable—to accuse Robert Menzies of being a Nazi appeaser! You should withdraw, and you should withdraw now. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Riverina will resume his seat and the member for Shortland will pause. I'm just referring it to the Clerk. Honourable members interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Whilst the comment wasn't made against a sitting member, it was unparliamentary and I'll get the member to withdraw. Mr CONROY: Do I get the time back, Mr Deputy Speaker? The DEPUTY SPEAKER: You'll withdraw. Mr CONROY: I withdraw to assist the House, but the fact remains that 10 days after Poland was invaded Robert Gordon Menzies wrote a letter to the high commissioner, advocating for a peace deal with Hitler. That is the truth. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member will pause for a moment. The member for Riverina? Mr McCormack: He should just withdraw, Mr Deputy Speaker. You've asked him and he's defying your directions. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: He has withdrawn. The member will continue. Mr CONROY: They're ashamed of their own history. They're ashamed of their own history on defence, which included sending troops to Vietnam on a lie—a war in which 500 Australians died. They're ashamed of their history of lying to get us into the Second Gulf War because the truth is they've always politicised national security. Mr Tim Wilson: A point of order. An unparliamentary remark was made against a collective group of people. In the past, I understand, under Practice, if it is not withdrawn, it would lead to individual members getting up individually and claiming— The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The unparliamentary remark that I was referring to was one made against a former Prime Minister who is no longer serving. Mr Tim Wils on: And a remark was just made regarding 'our history' or the government's history and deception. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The assistant minister will take his seat. The member for Shortland will resume. Mr CONROY: Thank you. This is how sensitive they are about their actual record on national security. This is why it's laughable for them to attack Labor when they have presided over the Hunter class frigate program that has blown out by two years. The budget has blown out from $30 billion to $45 billion. The project is 2,000 tonnes overweight, the ships will be slower than the rest of the fleet, the ships will have a shorter range and the ships will be very noisy, which is a problem for a submarine hunter. Most remarkably, the frigate captains will have to choose between using the radar or sailing at full speed, a problem when you're trying to avoid a missile attack. This is the truth about this government on national defence. They will drape themselves in the flag, but when it comes to delivering for the ADF and delivering for taxpayers, they go hiding, they go missing. They use the ADF as a political prop time and again, but when it comes to delivering for the ADF, they go missing. Look at the $3.7 billion of MRH-90 helicopters cancelled because they can't deliver a project. The Attack class submarines were cancelled, wasting $4 billion. The truth is that this government cannot deliver for this nation and cannot deliver for national security. They are simply incompetent.