Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence. Will the minister inform the House how the Morrison government's significant investment in defence is working in our regions to secure jobs and keep Australians safe? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question, and I thank him very much for his support of the members of the Australian Defence Force in his electorate, particularly at the air base.

Ms Burney interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Barton!

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's great to be part of a government that is investing so significantly in our Defence Force—not only in our personnel but in the assets that they need to keep us safe and to make sure that we can put more and more money into the infrastructure that is utilised by defence. We have been able to deliver, particularly in regional Australia, including in the Hunter. We've put $1½ billion into the New Air Combat Capability Facilities Project. The RAAF Base Williamtown redevelopment, stage 2, is a $274 million project. We're investing $66 million to upgrade the Newcastle Airport runway.

These, of course, aren't investments that Labor was able to make. I recall when the member for Hunter was the defence minister, in the glorious Rudd years. You might remember them. The country has never forgotten those years. His reign as the Minister for Defence would have been a glorious reign but for the fact that Labour cut $18 billion from defence investment. So his frustration with the Labor Party has been long running.

The member for Hunter has been consistently frustrated by the Labor Party, including most recently. We know that. Imagine if he had been able to preside over the investment that we are making into the regions. We are supporting thousands of jobs in the Hunter and across regional and outer-metropolitan areas in this country, and the people who live there understand that. They know that, through the investment we are making, we're not only keeping Australia safe and secure but creating thousands and thousands of jobs. In regional areas and in outer-metropolitan suburbs, families know that somebody in their household is able to pay the bills because this government is supporting defence industry. We're supporting the primes. We're supporting those small businesses who are employing those individuals. We're employing those people who otherwise would not have a job, and, under Labor, they didn't have a job. Funding for defence was at its lowest level since 1938. You cannot keep Australia secure and safe if you rip money from the Defence Force, which is exactly what Labor did before and exactly what they would do again.