Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

First, I am not going to speculate about an early, incomplete departmental working document that has been neither presented to government nor circulated to other relevant agencies but has apparently been leaked to the media. It goes without saying that the Defence white paper will be released, as the government has announced. The member, when it is released, may want to study that white paper.

On the question of the Defence budget, can I be very clear with the House and with the member who has asked the question. We were the first government to budget over $100 billion for Defence, and again this year we have budgeted $103 billion across the forward estimates. That is part of making the right decisions for national security. A little bit earlier this year I had the opportunity to outline the first ever National Security Strategy for the nation, and I refer the member to that.

I also refer the member to the fact that the opposition in the area of Defence has made a series of completely inconsistent statements about whether or not the opposition would add to Defence spending or would not add to Defence spending. We have had different statements from different spokespeople on different days. The Leader of the Opposition has said different things at different times. That kind of incompetence cannot be allowed to prevail. The opposition now has the opportunity to be crystal clear about its statements on Defence and crystal clear about budgeting for Defence and matching savings should they determine to make extra expenditure. I indicate, for example, that they have made commitments about indexation of military superannuation that have not been properly accounted for—

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