Senate debates

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Questions without Notice

Minister for Defence

2:28 pm

Photo of Alex GallacherAlex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Johnston. I refer to reports in The West Australian which stated the minister apologised to the ASC chairman, Mr Bruce Carter, two weeks ago and said he would refrain from criticising the ASC in the future. Has the minister honoured that commitment?

2:29 pm

Photo of David JohnstonDavid Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I did—

Photo of Doug CameronDoug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | | Hansard source

The answer is no. You could just say no and sit down.

Photo of Stephen ParryStephen Parry (President) Share this | | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, you were not asked the question.

Photo of David JohnstonDavid Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I did seek to sit down with the chair of the Australian Submarine Corporation and discuss issues with him. I do not believe that I apologised to him, but I did say there were problems that together we needed to address. I sought to engage him in a proper way as to the future with an eye to delivering a further eight future frigates to Adelaide. I took the time and trouble to sit down with him and implore him to assist us in the remediation of the current air warfare destroyer build because I really wanted to build eight future frigates in Adelaide. That was the discussion that I had with him.

I do not recall apologising to him. I would be interested in hearing his version of events, but the fact is that I sought his cooperation in partnership. I am the customer and he was the supplier. I said, 'There is an enormous amount of upside if we can get this right,' and that was my intent and that is my recollection of the discussion.

2:30 pm

Photo of Alex GallacherAlex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer the minister to the comments made by Andrew Daniels, a pipe fitter who works at ASC. He said:

… I go home to my family and this guy is telling me I'm useless ... I don't feel useless …

Given that the minister engaged, or whatever, with the ASC chairman, will he now step up and apologise to Mr Daniels and the other highly skilled ASC employees who work hard to keep Australian submariners safe?

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting

2:31 pm

Photo of David JohnstonDavid Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Let me say that I did not attack the workers directly at ASC. If Mr Daniels took offence, of course I would apologise to him. Of course I do and I unreservedly apologise because if you had been at the launch of ship 1 you would have heard me commend the workforce on their capacity. I said we had a long way to go in terms of productivity. The main problem I have had with that organisation has been the management. I sought to sit down with the chair of that organisation to say we must do better and that has been my intent. For my trouble I do not think I have got very far; however, I am consistently, persistently and determinedly approaching that organisation so that we can build a further eight ships in Adelaide.

2:32 pm

Photo of Alex GallacherAlex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer the minister to comments made by one of his senior Liberal colleagues that his remarks about the ASC were some of the most stupid words I have ever heard from a senior minister. Isn't the minister's senior Liberal colleague correct?

Photo of David JohnstonDavid Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Given what I know about the program, I got, I must say, overinvolved in the issues. It may be, for an outsider looking in, that he is absolutely right, but the bottom line in all of this is that I have had to look across this table at someone who has delivered more than probably $500 million in a lost program and who has never told the truth about it, who has never taken responsibility for it, who has never confronted the reality of her mismanagement. She was the worst finance minister we have ever seen because she has been the owner of this organisation through the whole thing. Now how do I get through to her? That is the question and that is the frustration.