Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. I thank her also for finally giving Boothby a voice in this chamber. Over the last six months I think everyone on this side of the House has been struck by just how consequential the moment is in which we have come to office; how precarious and how complex Australia's strategic circumstances are, and how the lost decade that Australia experienced under the former coalition government could not have come at a worse time.

In the last six months we have started to turn things around. Over the last six months I have met with 24 different defence ministers around the world. Over the last decade those opposite had 24 different ministers in defence just here in Australia.

Over the last decade, on the diplomatic front, those opposite cracked jokes, they misled presidents, they yelled at trading partners and they denied the science of climate, leaving Australia the most diminished that we have ever been in the world. Over the last six months we have been stabilising the relationship with China without any concessions. We have reengaged with the Pacific with energy and credibility. We are bolstering our relationship with our alliance partner the United States. We are deepening our historic relationship with the United Kingdom. We are repairing a fundamentally important relationship to Australia with France.

Over the last decade those opposite left us with 28 different defence programs running a total of 97 years over time.

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