David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable senator. I choose to accept the word of the Royal Australian Navy as to the real, factual events that have occurred.

We are on the path to successfully stopping the boats. The Prime Minister, both as Leader of the Opposition and currently, promised to stop the boats. What we are observing is something we have not seen in the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd merry-go-round over six years—a promise by a Prime Minister that is coming true. We have not seen such a thing in six years. Guess what? We are going to see the same sort of mayhem and broken promises if the current Leader of the Opposition comes to power, because he chooses to side with the aspersions cast upon the Royal Australian Navy. That is what the Labor Party is doing.

Senator Conroy interjecting—