Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think that goes right to the nub of this. This is about respect—respect for the defence forces and respect for the Australian people but, essentially, respect for the portfolio of defence in and of itself. This is not about cheap political point scoring, it is above and beyond that.

A former deputy prime minister stood and quoted Thucydides. Well, we can all read ancient history, and again the opposition wants to take us back to when we were last making decisions about defence. We made those decisions in good faith, and we appropriated the funds to see the required capabilities come to fruition. In the last 10 years, we have seen a government that has handed this portfolio around like either a prize or a punishment for someone. That, in and of itself, is a disgrace as well.

It is not about the amount of money that a government spends on defence and defending our people; it is always about capability, whether that be materiel or personnel. We've got to have the best, most well-trained people to fulfil those incredibly difficult tasks that—let's face it—most of us here in this room would not be able to stomach. But they've also got to have, if I can use Defence parlance, Gucci kit. What I see from those opposite is a lot of spraying of cash but very little kit, and let me tell you: what these people brought to Defence wasn't Gucci. It was inefficient. In some cases it could not even be used on the battlefront.

So we have conducted a review under Minister Marles, who is truly being the adult in the defence world here, and under the guidance of Angus Houston, who has served his country, and Stephen Smith, who has stood at that dispatch box as the defence minister. They are seriously reviewing our capacity to not only defend our nation but participate in the defence of a rules based order and a democratic process. We are fighting the good fight with our friends and allies across this world. We will make mature decisions. We will appropriately spend good taxpayers' money. We won't waste it, and what we won't do is politick when the people of Australia are relying on us not just for their safety but for their future.

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