Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government ensuring the—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Spence will resume his seat. There's far too much noise. If people interject whilst people are asking questions, they will be removed from the chamber immediately. I can't be any clearer than that. I will hear from the member for Spence again.

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government ensuring the responsible delivery of AUKUS, and are there threats to this responsible approach?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. Bipartisanship in national security is critical. That's not a leave pass for governments; criticism from opposition matters.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for O'Connor is warned.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Indeed, there was profoundly important criticism from the Curtin opposition to the Menzies government in the first years of the Second World War, but even then it was understood that, on critical matters, bipartisanship mattered.

When the Morrison government made its AUKUS announcement last year that Australia would acquire nuclear-powered submarines, the Albanese Labor opposition provided unconditional, unqualified support immediately, and that continued right through until the election. But, over the last week, the attitude of the opposition to AUKUS has become quite unclear, as we have been hearing the Leader of the Opposition describe his preferences about a future submarine capability. This has raised eyebrows abroad about whether or not the coalition is on board.

Now, the last time the Leader of the Opposition received a confidential briefing about AUKUS was in the very early days of a process which has gone a long way since then.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Groom will stop yelling.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition's information is very out of date, and he knows it. This government inherited an AUKUS announcement without much delivery. The capability gap which loomed as a result of the lost decade from those opposite as they were in and out of a subs deal with Japan and in and out of a deal with France had absolutely no answer to it, and there was the real prospect of there being a contest between two of our closest friends and allies as to who would provide us with a submarine. I can inform the House that the announcement that we will soon make will deal with the capability gap and is a genuine collaboration between all three countries.

The difference between the coalition's announcement on AUKUS and every other announcement that they made on defence in the last 10 years is that this time Labor is going to do the delivery, so it's actually going to happen. Over the last week, we've watched the Leader of the Opposition lay down markers, hedge his bets and try to have it both ways. The question for the opposition is very simple: when the government makes its announcement with the United States and with the United Kingdom about the future submarine capability that Australia has, will the opposition provide unconditional and unqualified support so as to provide bipartisan support in the national interest, or will they continue their subterranean commentary so as to position themselves for their own political interest? That choice is all theirs.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I give the call to the Prime Minister—oh, to the Leader of the Opposition.