Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

In an extraordinary circumstance yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister of Australia issued a statement which cut the Minister for Defence loose. What was the one thing missing in the Prime Minister's statement? He cleaned up the mess. He said he had confidence in the workforce at the ASC to do their duty and keep our men and women submariners safe. He said that. The one thing that was missing was any expression of support for the Minister for Defence. What happened yesterday afternoon? The Prime Minister cleaned up for Senator Johnston. Senator Johnston had five hours to come into the chamber to back up his Prime Minister and was missing for five hours. So the Prime Minister knew what a mess the minister had made, but the Minister for Defence did not turn up. All Senator Abetz had to do was stand up and say, 'I have full confidence in the Minister for Defence and I guarantee he will be sitting behind me, right in that seat, in February next year, when parliament reconvenes.' That is all Senator Abetz had to do—none of the above happened.

I will tell you what else is missing in this chamber right now: any South Australian Liberal senator but Senator Bernardi, who has to chair proceedings. Where has Senator Birmingham gone? Where has Senator Ruston gone? Where has Senator Edwards gone? Not one of them is in the chamber to support Senator Johnston. They have all run from the chamber—because they are in the papers this morning absolutely pillorying him. The Prime Minister yesterday walked away from him. All of the Liberal senators who attacked him in the newspapers have walked out of the chamber right now because they have also cut him loose. They have no confidence in the Minister for Defence following his continual outbursts.

And there is some very interesting information that has come to light in the newspapers this morning, because this minister has been a serial offender when it comes to abusing and denigrating the workers, the workforce and the company of the ASC. What do we discover in this morning's papers? A senior Liberal said that Senator Johnston's comments were 'breathtaking', coming just a fortnight after he apologised to ASC chairman Bruce Carter for being critical of the agency's work. The West Australian understands that Senator Johnston told Mr Carter over dinner in Adelaide that he would refrain from criticising the ASC in the future. So, just two weeks ago he promised to stop doing it. And then last week he went on radio and attacked the acting chief executive, saying that he did not know anything about building subs. Unfortunately, he had spent 25 years building and maintaining subs. So, last week he broke his promise to Mr Carter. Then, yesterday, he got up and broke his promise to Mr Carter again.

Why is all of this happening? Because a lie was told before the last election. Senator Johnston stood up and promised the people of Australia, the people of Adelaide, and the workforce of the ASC, and he did it cynically in front of them. He stood in front of the gates of the ASC and committed—he promised on behalf of Tony Abbott—that he would build 12 submarines in Adelaide, right there at the ASC. So, all we have been seeing for the past 12 months is a denigration—a serial offender denigrating the people who keep our subs in the water, the people who have lifted the productivity at the ASC substantially, since the Cole report, commissioned by our government, because in the 11½ years that they were in government they allowed the maintenance program to completely fall away. When they were in government the maintenance program was a disgrace. We came to government and commissioned a report, and the productivity started to go up. And now, as the senator wants to try to hide behind, they are now at an excellent level.