Barry Haase (Kalgoorlie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Defence. Given that the government is negotiating with the United States for a joint communications facility at Geraldton, Western Australia, what is the purpose of the facility? Are there any alternative policies?

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for his question and for his very strong support for Defence facilities in Western Australia. I can confirm that for some two years now the Australian government has been negotiating with the United States an agreement that will see a number of ground based satellite communications systems placed in appropriate locations in Australia.

The first one, which has not yet been finally agreed but which we expect to conclude in the next few months, is for an unmanned ground based facility at Geraldton, which will be a satellite communications system for the United States military and its allies. For reasons I would expect the House to appreciate, I will not go into the specific details, but the facility will support not only the operation of the United States military and its allies but also Australian troops.

As the Minister for Foreign Affairs said, it will be conducted with the full knowledge and concurrence of the Australian government—in other words, we will be fully aware of the information that goes through that ground based system. We are also negotiating for a number of other ground based facilities which will have a non-military use. The United States-Australia alliance is extremely important. It is not just about friendship; it is also about our capability: military capability, intelligence sharing, the interoperability between our two militaries and, of course, the security of Australia’s people, interests and values.

I was asked about alternative views. The Australian National University conducts a survey every federal election and it asks the candidates seeking to be elected to the federal parliament their views on a number of issues. It is interesting that amongst its questions in 2004 the Australian National University asked: ‘Is the United States a threat to Australia’s security?’ It is rather extraordinary that anyone would think of the need to ask such a question; nonetheless, the ANU asked people standing for election to the federal parliament whether they thought that the United States, Australia’s key ally, is a threat to Australia’s security. I was staggered to read that 22 per cent of candidates, or one in four, standing for election for the Australian Labor Party believed that the United States is a threat to Australia’s security.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration, Integration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Burke interjecting

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That means that, as we on this side look to that side, we know that every fourth person on average believes the United States is a threat to the security of Australia. The foreign minister reminded us that this morning the member for Kingsford Smith was one of five Labor Party frontbenchers asked whether they support the unmanned ground based military facility for Geraldton. I noticed that the member for Kingsford Smith was asked not once or twice but five times whether he supported it. He was asked whether he had sung about it. Well he has sung about it, but he has also written about it. I went to the library and obtained a book entitled Peter Garrett: Political Blues. When choosing books I—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order that goes to standing order 104.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. I think the minister is entirely in order. The minister is answering the question.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having examined the front of the book, I then went to the back—

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How old is it?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Melbourne Ports!

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

because I thought it important to have a precis of the book. It said:

In Political Blues he—

that is, Peter Garrett—

confronts us with the issues on which it is time for us to make a stand.

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Danby interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Melbourne Ports is warned!

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So the member for Kingsford Smith felt so strongly about these issues that he did not write a letter, he did not produce a pamphlet, he wrote a book—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration, Integration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Burke interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Watson is also warned!

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He wrote a book called Peter Garrettquite an imaginative title—about the things upon which it is now time to take a stand.

Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. The minister was asked about the facility at Geraldton, not when he was a member of the Labor Party. Can you bring him back to the question?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. If the member wishes to take a point of order, he will come straight to the point of order and not debate it. I call the minister, but given that he has already given a lengthy answer he might bring his answer to a conclusion.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I turn to page 95 in the book where, in relation to US facilities in Australia, the member for Kingsford Smith says:

I look forward to the day when the eviction notices are formally presented to the American Secretary of State by the elected leader of the Australian people.

In fact, he also criticised the US Secretary of the Navy because he “believes in winning wars”. So the alternative government of Australia has one in four people in its ranks who believe the United States is a threat to the security of Australia, it has five frontbenchers who will not support a US base facility—to support our troops as much as its own—and it also has a frontbencher who is looking forward to the day when the leader of Australia ‘evicts the United States and its facilities from this country’. It is time that the Labor Party stood up for Australia, the Australia-US alliance and Australia’s best interest.