Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I think the behaviour of the opposition is reinforcing the point that I have just made, Mr Speaker. Just before Christmas, the Prime Minister announced a $1 billion initiative, which is the first phase in a 10-year program to invest further in Australia’s Defence Force people. That includes a major reform to the way in which we recruit people. We will reduce over the next year, from an average of 31 weeks to six weeks, the time it takes to recruit people into the Australian Defence Force. We will also be providing bonuses and allowances of up to $40,000, particularly for our lower ranks, other ranks and lower officer ranks.

There will be further investment and reforms to Australian Defence Force cadets and there will also be changes to the way in which defence careers are managed throughout our Army, Navy and Air Force. Next year for the first time 1,000 young Australians, when they leave school, will have the choice of spending a gap year in one of our three services and wearing the uniform of the Australian Army, Air Force or Navy. The government is quite confident that not only will young Australians find increased resilience in themselves from that experience but many will subsequently go on to spend their careers and their lives serving Australia wearing the uniform. This government has committed itself to the task of building the Australian Defence Force by 6,000, from 51,000 to 57,000, over the next 10 years.

In contrast, the Australian Labor Party in government set itself the task in 1989 of stripping 6,000 men and women out of the Australian Defence Force and the hardest task it had in doing so was that, because more than a million Australians were unemployed, no-one wanted to leave the Australian Defence Force. In terms of actions, as distinct from empty rhetoric from the opposition frontbench, it ought to be remembered that, when the Australian National University published its survey of candidates standing for election in the federal parliament in 2004, more people sitting behind the Leader of the Opposition wanted to cut defence expenditure than increase it. This government believes in defence, in security, in standing up for Australia, in a strong economy and in investing in our people and our equipment.

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