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

(—) (): My question is to Senator Johnston, the Minister for Defence. Who authorised the use of a South Australian Liberal Party banner as a backdrop at RAAF Base Edinburgh in Adelaide for a joint press conference held by the Prime Minister and the South Australian opposition Liberal leader, Steven Marshall, on Thursday, 13 March, just two days before the South Australian election; and does the minister approve of the Prime Minister standing in front of a Liberal Party banner—

Senator Conroy holding up pictures—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order, Senator Conroy! That is disorderly—

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

which included the Liberal Party logo, Liberal Party slogans and the South Australian Liberal leader's Twitter handle, while on a Defence Force base?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would assume it was the same person who authorised two FA18s, several helicopters and a couple of heavy lift aircraft in the Labor Party's launch of the ill-fated 2013 white paper, at a cost to taxpayers of several hundred thousand dollars! The shadow minister wants to take issue with this in the face of the profligacy of the Labor Party, with planes and helicopters and ships that we observed—all while there was not one red cent in the white paper of 2013. The chapter dealing with budget finance and funding did not have one single dollar figure in it. This Defence portfolio—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order—

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, I'm not being relevant!

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Johnston!

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order is on relevance. The specific question is about a Liberal Party logo and defining information about the Liberal Party as a backdrop to this particular event.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order at this stage. The minister still has 57 seconds remaining to address the question.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This question is from the party that now want to know what we are doing about the 'valley of death'. The only reason that is a relevant question is that in six years they did absolutely zero about the jobs—the welders, the workers, the plumbers, the electricians—involved in shipbuilding. They did nothing—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order is again on relevance. The question was specifically about the Liberal Party banner and logo. Could that be drawn to the attention of the minister?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I draw your attention to the question. You have 32 seconds remaining.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is important to realise that in the last election there was one party that actually went to the electorate with a defence policy—a funded defence policy. What does the Labor Party bring to defence? Nothing more than an attitude to treat the portfolio as an ATM.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, again a point of order on relevance: it is specifically about the logo and the banner.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have drawn the minister's attention to the question already. The minister has six seconds remaining to address the question.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have no doubt it was the same person who authorised the Labor Party's use of all their props! (Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister commit to taking steps to ensure that party political banners like those used by the Prime Minister at RAAF Base Edinburgh are never used again on Defence Force bases? Will the minister inform the Prime Minister that the use of party political banners on Defence Force bases is completely inappropriate?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I find this question quite curious, given that during my time as shadow spokesman, in opposition, I asked for briefings on a whole host of matters and received virtually none. The portfolio was hideously politicised by the previous, Labor government—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: again, it is specifically a question about a Liberal Party banner being used on a base—if we could have that drawn to the attention of the minister.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister needs to address the question. The minister has 33 seconds remaining.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And so it was that, in travelling around bases when in opposition, it was very apparent to me that there was a clear need for some semblance of a defence policy. Now, the fact is that whether or not—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr President: on a number of occasions now we have drawn your attention to direct relevance. The minister has been asked about the use of a Liberal Party banner on a Defence base. He has been asked for detail about who authorised it and for detail about whether or not he will take action, as minister, to ensure it will not happen again. He has not once come close to the question on this important issue. You should draw his attention to the question and he should be directly relevant.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have said, I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question. I did draw the minister's attention to the question at the 33-second mark. The minister still has nine seconds remaining and I remind him of the question.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All I want to say in completion of my answer to that supplementary question is that there is one party in this chamber committed to the Department of Defence and the defence of Australia.

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

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. To prevent this ever happening again, will the minister ensure that ADF personnel are authorised to take down these party political banners if they are ever put up at future events held on Defence Force bases?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I happened to be away in the United Kingdom all of last week. I do not know the circumstances. I am not aware of the circumstances of any of these matters—

Senator Conroy holding up pictures—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Conroy, that is completely out of order.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In those circumstances, I would have thought that the shadow minister had many more important things in the Defence portfolio to raise with me.