House debates Questions without Notice
Minister for Defence
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:30 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
Madam Speaker, on a point of order: is it in order, while you are admonishing the opposition, for the members for Grayndler and Hunter to actually be interjecting on you as the Speaker?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The answer is no, and there shall be no more of it.
Opposition members interjecting—
All three of you perhaps should consider your positions.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
My question is to the Prime Minister. The Minister for Defence has failed our Defence Force men and women by cutting their real wages and conditions, including Christmas and recreation leave. If he will not say sorry for cutting the real wages of our Defence Force men and women, why won't you just sack him?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
2:31 pm
No-one regrets more than I do that we cannot afford to pay people more at this time. No-one regrets that more than I do. I have been to Defence base after Defence base over the last 14 months. I have visited our defence forces in all sorts of different contexts. I deeply respect—nay, I revere—our defence forces. No-one is more deserving of the best possible deal than our defence forces.
But it comes a little ill of the Leader of the Opposition, who helped to put us into the parlous fiscal position that we are in, to complain about the necessary consequences of the situation that he created. This is someone who not only knifed two prime ministers but played a large part in the economic policies of the former government which gave us debt and deficits stretching out as far as the eye can see.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, on a point of order: surely on a question about our Defence Force the Prime Minister can be relevant.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The question was a very wide ranging one and, when asked for action which is anticipated by the Leader of the Opposition as appropriate, the Prime Minister is perfectly entitled to answer it.
A government member interjecting—
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
He is interjecting again, Madam Speaker, while you were speaking.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Hunter, who was also interjecting, can leave under 94(a).
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Madam Speaker, the Leader of the House was making a point of order complaining that members were interjecting on you while you were speaking. He has done nothing but—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume his seat and leave under 94(a.)
The member for Hunter then left the chamber.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, a point of order—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
Is the Manager of Opposition Business anxious to join the member for Hunter?
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
No, I am not. But if I have the call I will take a point of order?
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
How is the member for Hunter meant to resume his seat and leave the room?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
He can do it sequentially. It is quite clever.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The job of the Minister for Defence is to ensure that our Defence Force personnel have the best possible deal under all the circumstances. I can assure members opposite that no-one in the public sector will be getting a better deal than our Defence Force personnel, because our Defence Force personnel deserve the very best from the Australian people and the Australian government.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Griffith will leave under 94(a).
The member for Griffith then left the chamber.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
They will get much better from this particular government than they did from the last one, which cut $16 billion off them and reduced defence spending as a percentage of GDP to the lowest level since 1938.