Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Cook said this about China: 'We do it directly when we do these things. Again, we don't get into showboating about this sort of thing. We just do it respectfully and within the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that we have with China. It is very important to Australia, and it enables us to engage with them on any number of issues, which we will continue to do. But we're not about to do those things in a way that is public.' They then went on, and he said, 'I'm not going to go into the discussion.' That's what the member for Cook said. He didn't leak a text message on that occasion but said, very clearly, that that was the case. I make this point, to someone who sat on the NSC for a period of time and all of that: every incident with China on this government's watch and every incident that has impacted Australian Defence Force personnel has been revealed publicly and has gone directly to China as well to make our position clear. On this government's watch, that has always happened. I'd be interested in whether that can be said across the board. He knows full well— (Time expired)

Opposition members interjecting—

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