Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The response is repeatedly that 'someone should have done something six years ago'. Well, you had an opportunity. Labor had the 2013 Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan and a plan for naval shipbuilding. It was designed to maintain industry capacity, create jobs and maximise the value for Defence acquisitions. It appears as though this government is going completely in the other direction: 'Let's invest overseas, let's take hard-earned taxpayers' dollars and invest in Japanese shipbuilding or submarine capability.' That is totally contrary to the best interests of this country. From a strategic defence point of view and from an economic perspective it is totally contrary to the national interest. And they stand here in this debate and say to workers who are facing redundancy, unemployment and relocation—all of the problems when workers lose their jobs—that it was 'someone else's fault'. They say, 'Don't blame a government that has been in power for two years, blame someone else who six years ago should have made a different decision.' I do not think workers will take any comfort from that. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.