Jessica Collins (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

I rise to take note particularly of the minister's response to the question of national security and defence spending. Once again, we've seen Labor dodge, deflect and ultimately disrespect the seriousness of Australia's strategic circumstances and the question of national security. I asked the Minister representing the Prime Minister why the Albanese government had abandoned its previous commitment to set defence spending targets as a proportion of GDP. In 2022, Labor claimed it was vital to set such targets in response to rising global threats. Yet now, as the world becomes even more unstable, the government refuses to follow through. That commitment was not made lightly. It was announced in the context of an increasingly volatile Indo-Pacific, with rising military assertiveness from authoritarian powers and our most important allies urging Australia to pull its weight.

Yet today that commitment has disappeared into thin air without sufficient explanation, without accountability. The minister notes an increase in defence spending but fails to answer why it is not to the sufficient level promised. And what did we get from Minister Wong? We got a distraction from one inconvenient truth. That truth is that Labor doesn't take defence seriously. This government has no credible plan to lift defence spending to the levels our allies and even their own Defence Strategic Review say are needed. Instead of providing a real answer, the minister threw around weak excuses.

I also asked whether the Prime Minister has ever attended or participated in an Australian military exercise. As someone who joined our troops during Exercise Talisman Sabre, I've seen firsthand the professionalism, sacrifice and strategic importance of what they do. The minister talked about herself, about the Minister for Defence, but not about the Prime Minister. I acknowledge her efforts and appreciate her involvement, but it is not unreasonable to expect the Prime Minister of this nation to show up for our troops. Some might think otherwise, but those on this side of the chamber do not.

Finally, I raised the Prime Minister's decision to spend six days touring China while choosing not to attend Talisman Sabre. He had time to meet with People's Liberation Army officers but not with our own troops or allied commanders. I asked why he made time for China's military leadership but couldn't find time to stand beside Australian soldiers during our most significant joint defence exercise. What was he doing there? Patting pandas in China—pandering to China, some might say. He had time to stroll down memory lane in China, paying tribute to past Labor figures and visiting tourist sites, but he couldn't find the time to visit the troops. He didn't even bother to show up. The Prime Minister of this country chose to shake hands with officers from China's People's Liberation Army instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with Australian soldiers and our allies during a critical moment for our regional defence posture. That's not just poor optics; I believe that it is a failure of leadership.