Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers to questions to the Minister for Defence, Senator Johnston, on Defence Force pay. This is a minister who just cannot get it right. Whether it is submarines or defence force pay, he has clearly shown by his actions and his words that he has no respect for workers. It does not matter whether they are civilians or enlisted personnel, this is a minister who has no respect for workers at all. He has shown that over the last couple of weeks, because he has been absolutely incapable of moving on the harsh, mean-spirited pay offer to Australian Defence Force personnel. Indeed, in this chamber this afternoon government senators have confirmed that Senator Johnston did not stick up for ADF personnel and that mean-spirited pay offer. He obviously was saying to the Prime Minister: 'It is a good deal; let's stitch it up,' because we have heard government senators here today claiming that it was five other coalition MPs who changed the Prime Minister's mind. Where was the defence minister on this? He was completely missing in action. I am not sure whether he is a barnacle or what he is, but it is certainly time that he walked the plank, because he has shown himself to be absolutely incapable of acting responsibly, whether it is on submarines or whether it is defence pay.

The Prime Minister has been no better on this issue. He talks about service and honouring your country in relation to ADF staff, but he obviously does not understand these notions. If he did, if he had just a skerrick of respect for the ADF, then he would not have shown such disrespect with his paltry pay offer of 1.5 per cent a year—less than inflation. That is less than the cost of living. It is like Defence personnel are paying the Prime Minister and the Defence Force for the honour of being enlisted. Is that what we have got to with this pay offer? On the one hand—as Mr Shorten, our leader, says—the Prime Minister wants this 'Team Australia' notion, but on the other he does not want to reward and recognise the efforts of our ADF personnel.

Today we have seen a partial backdown, but it is not a backdown. Let us be very clear about what has happened today. The Prime Minister has simply realised: 'Oops! I have gone too far.' That he has done so is not because of the work of five coalition MPs but because of the overwhelming disgust shown by ordinary Australians, who feel that the ADF deserve more. Now he has given them back the conditions which he was so willing and so quick to take off them; he has simply given that back. So let us see him move some more today on that paltry pay offer.

It is a shame that, along with the response from the Australian people to this disgraceful ADF offer, it took the loss of the Victorian election by the Liberals and the Nationals to get them to finally face some home truths. To face the fact that so much of what they do is harsh and cruel, and that this offer—