House debates Questions without Notice
Defence Procurement
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
2:15 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister join with Labor and commit to conducting a competitive tender process for building, maintaining and sustaining future submarines in Australia, including a funded definition study and commencing with the world's most prominent and relevant submarine designers from Germany, France, Japan and Sweden?
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence
The reality is that Labor has a complete fantasy in relation to defence. For six long years, they sat on this side of the House as the government of Australia and did absolutely nothing! Absolutely nothing!
And on top of that, what does the Leader of the Opposition now propose? The Leader of the Opposition proposes a tender which, on the advice of Defence, would take four to five years. So what they are saying—what the Labor Party is saying—is that they will risk the security and the defence of this country—
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In the question, the Prime Minister—now, the defence minister—was asked to refer to the government's policy. That is what the question was about—
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence
The member for Watson did not even hear the question that was asked, and he was sitting next to the questioner!
The reality is that if we were to adopt what the Leader of the Opposition is proposing, we would risk the future security and defence of this country in a decade's time. That is what we would do. We are not prepared to do that. We are not going to engage in their fantasy!