Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Grey for his question. I can tell him that two days ago the government announced a $500 million investment to improve Australia's space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. This investment will allow the ADF, the Australian Defence Force, to access commercial satellites by getting images faster, more comprehensively and of higher quality. This $500 million increase in capability will support the government's commitment to border protection, intelligence gathering, surveillance, humanitarian missions and Navy operations. It is just another part of our $195 billion commitment to our military build-up in Australia, the largest peacetime military build-up in Australia's history. Much of it will be spent here in Australia, building our satellite capabilities as part of the Turnbull government's commitment to ensuring that the enormous $195 billion Defence heft is pushed behind jobs, investment and businesses here in Australia.

This $500 million investment in satellites and technology is about growing that very high-tech advanced manufacturing capability here in this country. It is part of this government's commitment to the security of Australians. Over the last few weeks we have heard a lot about that. In fact, since the Abbott government and now the Turnbull government were elected in 2013, this government, this side of politics has been genuinely committed to security at every turn, whether it has been the border protection policies of first the Treasurer and now the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, stopping the people-smuggling trade, stopping that danger to our country; whether it has been the commitment to cybersecurity protection that the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security, outlined yesterday, protecting Australians in terms of cybersecurity; whether it has been the commitment of funds to the Australian Federal Police and counter-terror measures, funds removed by the Labor Party when they were in office and recommitted to by this government since we were elected; or whether it was altering the rules of engagement in Syria and Iraq so that our ADF can take out our opponents wherever they are when they are undertaking activities that are not in our interests. The most recent actions taken by this government to protect Australians to ensure we have the entire suite of measures at our disposal are the changes to citizenship laws to ensure that everyone who becomes an Australian citizen is as committed to the defence and security of this nation as this government is. Labor have squibbed it. They have squibbed it yet again on a vital national security issue. The Leader of the Opposition has put the unity of his party, keeping the Left in the tent ahead of the national security of Australians— (Time expired)