Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

The Deputy Prime Minister must come clean to this House and Townsville's Australian Defence Force members about the future of a number of units at Lavarack Barracks. The Deputy Prime Minister, the part-time defence minister, has sent a shockwave through the 3rd Brigade after the announcement to cut the infantry fighting vehicle from 450 to 129. While we currently have three mechanised battalions in the ADF, 129 IFVs are barely enough for one.

This bombshell was dropped the day before ANZAC Day during Kapyong Day commemorations at the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, the very unit that is most likely to be affected. Since then I've been fielding messages from members around the nation. One said: 'So much time invested into capability we can't use. So many discharges just because we have lost our identity.' Another said: 'What is the value that the defence minister places on an infantry soldier's life? He's denying them and those in a combined arms environment the protection they deserve.'

This is a perfect example of what we suspected would happen when this Labor government announced a defence strategic review. We know Labor governments love gutting our Defence Force. They needed a smokescreen to hide behind. This cut to capability even goes against the Chief of Army who said the vehicles were needed to help troops survive.

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