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

I thank the member opposite for his contribution and his question. What we're doing to support the ADF is evident. What we're doing is record resourcing of the ADF. We are matching our rhetoric with action—something those opposite failed to do in 9½ long years in government. I don't question the patriotism of those opposite. I think they're all firmly committed to serving this nation; you wouldn't be in this place otherwise. I note that I am talking in front of four members of the opposition, three of whom are veterans, and I honour their service and thank them for what they have done for this country. But rhetoric must be matched by action, and that's what the Albanese government is doing in record resourcing of the ADF in the most strategically challenging circumstances since the Second World War.

We've increased the defence budget by $50 billion over the next decade, with $5.7 billion coming in the first four years. Under our new IIP, 10 per cent of the new funding flows in the first four years. When those opposite released their new IIP in 2016, only five per cent of the new funding was in the first four years. So, if anyone opposite gets up and talks about it being backloaded, I would argue that they are being incredibly hypocritical. Importantly, within two years, two-thirds of the new funding from those opposite was taken back from defence into consolidated revenue. Their actions demonstrated a lack of commitment to the defence of the nation.

What this increased resourcing enables us to do is a more than doubling of the surface fleet—moving from a surface fleet of 11 to 12 major surface combatants to one with 26—and accelerating that, so that we will be cutting the steel on the general-purpose frigate in 2026. It will be delivered in 2029 and in service in 2030—the fastest acquisition of a major surface asset in the history of the nation or, certainly, since World War II. We've brought forward incredibly significant projects for the Australian Army. The infantry fighting vehicle will be brought forward by a couple of years, so much so that we will have finished the production line before those opposite would have delivered one. I'll give a tip to the member for Fisher: 129 is more than one. We will have our entire production line done before you would have produced one. We've brought forward the landing craft, medium, by two years and we brought forward landing craft, heavy, by seven years as part of the transformation of the Australian Army into one focused on littoral manoeuvre, a key recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review. We're also focusing on long-range strike for the Australian Army—and I respect the former speaker's contribution about self-propelled howitzers. We're moving from an Australian Army whose longest-range weapon is 40 kilometres to one that will have long-range strike in excess of 500 kilometres. That is a massive exercise. We're bringing forward the acquisition of HIMARS, and establishing Australian missile manufacturing industry in this country. We'll be making missiles from 2025 onwards. These are all important contributions to the defence of the nation.

I'm going to spend my remaining time talking about what the test is for the opposition—the alternative government. We're a year out from an election. It's time to go from carping about what we're doing to presenting alternative policies, so I'll make a couple of suggestions. First, you should apologise for the fraud you perpetrated amongst the defence industry and the people of this nation by adding $42 billion worth of spending commitments—

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