My question is to the Prime Minister. Given the Defence pay debacle, will Senator Johnston still be the defence minister next February or does the buck stop with you?

I call the honourable the Prime Minister.

Madam Speaker, I seek leave to table 60,000 objections of ordinary Australians objecting to your pathetic pay deal for the defence forces.

I am sorry but, unless I missed something, did the honourable the Prime Minister answer? Then the Leader of the Opposition is quite out of order in attempting to—

An honourable member interjecting—

No, he cannot. The honourable the Prime Minister has the call.

Madam Speaker, I should indicate that the government will give the Leader of the Opposition leave to table the petition that he forgot about in his question. All of us would like to pay defence personnel more. We really, really would. But it is impossible to do with a $50 billion deficit what was possible with a $20 billion surplus. I give this commitment: no public sector worker will be paid at a higher rate of increase than our defence forces. Our defence forces will be given the respect that they deserve from this government by being paid at the very top of what is possible at these times. But our defence forces need to know why we are in this predicament. We are in this predicament because members opposite gave us debt and deficit, stretching out as far as the eye can see. That is why it is not possible to pay defence force personnel as much as we would like, because members opposite left us with debt and deficit stretching out as far as the eye can see. Because Defence Force personnel are smart people, because they understand that in order to have a strong defence you have got to have a strong economy, I am confident that they will appreciate exactly what this government is doing.

I call the Leader of the Opposition to deal with his position.

Madam Speaker, in the light of the Prime Minister's offers, I seek leave to table 60,000 objections to the government's pathetic ADF pay deal.

The government has given leave. The petition is tabled.