Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this amendment. For 7½ years, this was not a priority for the Labor Party. Since it became a union issue, it is now a priority.

Senator McEwen interjecting—

How shrill can it be? On the back of a truck, standing down at Ottoway while the Leader of the Opposition does all the dog whistling on all of this. Dr John White is a very credible witness, and I agree with a lot of what he said. What Senator Dastyari failed to tell you was the full truth. What happened was that when I questioned Dr John White, he said that there is now a defence capability gap because the former government failed to take action in the time—in fact, the former government pulled $19.6 billion out of the Defence budget. That is how much they care about the arrowhead of our defence strategy in Australia! Do not let their indignation fool you. This is just theatre—or, I might say, a pantomime—because there is now a defence gap.

The issue for us in Australia is what is the best for the Defence Force? First priority, No. 1: what is the best for the Defence Force? I believe that is that submarines should be built in South Australia. But why are we getting this union rhetoric up the back here? It is as if Senator Dastyari is up for preselection. He is not. And it is as if Senator Dastyari was being broadcast, but he is not. There are no TV cameras here; they are not on. So what is it all about? It is about shielding what they did not get done.

And may I commend you on your earlier contribution, Mr Temporary Chairman Gallacher, on behalf of South Australia. It was a valiant effort. The shadow defence minister threw you to the wolves for I think six minutes and 14 seconds before you were actually handed your script; you equipped yourself admirably. I agree that when it comes to submarines, we have always had an international partnership. And we will again, even if we build them in Adelaide, in Melbourne, in Williamstown or wherever. There will be an international partner, just like there was with Kockums, the Swedes, and the Collins class, and now we have the Germans coming in.

By the way, with all of this hysteria—heaven forbid—oh, that is right; we are playing the politics here. How empty. The defence minister has not made a decision. The government has not made a decision. That is the simple fact. It was not a priority of yours over there on the other side for seven years, and now the unions are on the back of their trucks getting out their old rhetoric again, hammering the conservatives. Well, well, well.

Senator Dastyari advertised a number of times that he is the chair of the economics references committee. Actually, I am the chair of the economics legislation committee. I did not understand the relevance either, except that I have been and listened to a number of people who said that we can build submarines in this country. Yes, they said that, and that is quite right, as Senator Dastyari said. But that is not an opinion that is lost on the defence minister, this government or anybody else. Everybody on the other side seems to think that they know. They are all clairvoyants on the other side. They know, they are already predicting the outcome of what the government is going to do. What emptiness; what jelly backs.

I am not going to go on too much more, but I will say that, yes, every Australian would like to build defence submarines here. We would all like the motor industry to continue on. We would all like all of these things to happen. I want the South Australia submarine builders to be able to tender, because I believe they have the right to tender. But nobody has made a decision yet. This stunt here tonight is simply that—a stunt. It is politics, just hollow politics. That is all it is. I am glad that it is not being broadcast. I ask the minister assisting if he would like to respond.