Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Let me say that again: he misrepresented a pay slip of a special forces soldier simply for his own political gain. Was he concerned, as was Senator Johnston, last October about the likelihood that he would be bringing our elite soldiers into the political quagmire? Was he concerned about the impact that might have on the SAS family and their families? No. There was no concern for them. This is a Leader of the Opposition who is prepared to put his own political interests ahead of the interests of our elite soldiers. This is a Leader of the Opposition who is so low in the polls that he will stop at nothing, including embarrassing our special forces soldiers, for his own political gain. I suggest that, when I complete my contribution, the Leader of the Opposition might once again come to the dispatch box and table the pay slip so that we can compare it, so there can be absolutely no doubt that we are talking about the same pay slip. Then we can determine once and for all whether he has misrepresented the situation. Having said that, I am in no doubt that this is the same pay slip.

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