House debates Questions without Notice
Satellite Communications System
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence
3:00 pm
My question is to the Minister for Defence and refers to the proposed new joint facility that both he and the foreign minister mentioned earlier in question time. Why hasn’t the minister followed convention by offering the relevant opposition spokesman a briefing on the proposed Geraldton facility? Why, in his earlier answer, did he fail to mention that, as Labor’s defence spokesman, I made it absolutely clear on national radio just before question time that Labor fully supports both existing and proposed joint facilities? Minister, why are you playing party politics with Australia’s national security?
Brendan Nelson Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence
I thank the member for Hunter for his question and welcome him to the Defence portfolio.
Simon Crean Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Regional Development
Mr Crean interjecting
Brendan Nelson Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence
I have not ever suggested or even implied that the member for Hunter would be in the 25 per cent of Labor MPs who think the US is a threat to Australia’s security. The member for Banks, to his credit, whilst not being involved in the Defence portfolio particularly but having a keen interest in the Australia-US alliance, took the initiative to ask me a question about this. Had the member for Hunter been carefully listening to the answer, he would know that I had said that the final negotiations are not yet concluded.
Wayne Swan Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
Mr Swan interjecting
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The member for Lilley has already been warned!
Brendan Nelson Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence
When the memorandum of understanding is finally signed and agreed by the United States of America, of course he will be welcome to complete disclosure. But, if in the meantime he would like even more information than I have made available to the member for Banks, we would be most pleased for him to receive it. I must say I do welcome—although it appears to have taken in the vicinity of some six or seven hours—the Labor Party’s support for a US facility based in Australia.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence
Mr Speaker, I will deal with that later by way of a personal explanation. I seek leave to table the transcript in which I made it quite clear, some hours ago, that Labor fully supports the facilities.
Leave granted.