Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the fabulous member for Boothby, from the great defence state of South Australia, for that question. I note that the taxpayers of Boothby—all 84,000 of them—will get an average tax cut of $1,592. The truth is that the defence industry is a critical partner to the Australian Defence Force as we enter a great period of strategic uncertainty. That's why the Albanese Labor government is spending record amounts in the Australian defence industry, much greater than what was going on under the opposition leader. We've been very open that one of the challenges is to attract and retain skilled defence workers. That's why these tax cuts are so important. That's why these will make such an impact in helping our defence industry. A sheetmetal worker earning $70,000 a year will get a tax cut of $1,429, a technician on $90,000 a year will get a tax cut of $1,929, a welder on $110,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,429, and an engineer or an electrician on $130,000 a year will receive a tax cut of $3,379. These tax cuts are great for defence workers, they'll help with the cost of living, they'll reward workers for their hard work in a vital industry, they'll encourage more careers in the defence industry and they'll incentivise upskilling.

I'm asked, 'Why are these tax cuts so important?' They're important because it's critical to deliver the key ADF platforms we need to defend this country, and it's critical to get the skilled workforce to do that. It's important to repair the damage done by the opposition leader when he was the defence minister. This is an opposition leader who allowed 28 major defence project to run 97 years late.

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