Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Defence. I remind the minister of this statement of the Leader of the Opposition of 23 January this year:

… what I won't do is join in and start attacking our own military personnel … I for one don’t want to see our military being used as some sort of political football.

Minister, how does that compare with the statements made in Senate estimates by the shadow minister for Defence yesterday, and the Leader of the Opposition's response today? And why is this matter important with respect to the morale of the men and women of our Defence forces?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me thank the member for Mitchell for his question, and acknowledge that as he is a former Army Reserve officer he is a man with deep interest in the military.

It is now a matter of national attention that Senator Conroy has opened his account as Labor's Defence spokesman with a grubby and premeditated slur against one of our most respected three-star Lieutenant General officers, accusing him of a political cover-up no less. Six months of near total silence from the opposition's shadow Defence minister and he decides the best way to come out and support those who support us is to sling mud at a general's face.

Let me tell you what the military says. It says, 'The standard you walk past is the standard you accept'. And what the nation wants to know and what this parliament wants to know, Leader of the Opposition, is whether you accept the comments—whether you—

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a question to you!

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, what the nation wants to know is whether the Leader of the Opposition accepts the comments made by the shadow Defence spokesman. And if not, what is the Leader of the Opposition going to do about it?

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member the Kingston will desist!

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition was asked today, 'Do you personally think Conroy went too far?' And the Leader of the Opposition's response? 'The senator has withdrawn his remarks, and that speaks for itself.' Well, the only thing that speaks for itself is that the Leader of the Opposition's abject failure to bring into line his own shadow defence minister is as unacceptable as the original comments themselves. Will the Leader of the Opposition look at what former Labor defence minister, the member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon, said when asked today about his regard for Stephen Conroy? His response was, 'Stephen Conroy is doing an excellent job as the shadow defence minister.'

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I quote a page you are familiar with. Page 555 ofHOR Practicestates:

As is clear from the above examples, it is not in order for Ministers to be questioned on opposition policies, for which they are not responsible. The Speaker has been critical of the use of phrases at the end of questions, such as ‘are there any threats to ...’, that could be viewed as intended to allow Ministers to canvass opposition plans—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. There is no point of order.

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

Madam Speaker—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I said there was no point of order. Do you have a second one?

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

Madam Speaker, I have a second point of order. In that instance your ruling must be saying that the minister is responsible for the issues that he is now talking about.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not make a ruling; I said there was no point of order. I call the Assistant Minister for Defence.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If that was not enough, Senator Conroy was given another chance to apologise. He could not manage it. He could not man up and manage it. He even went so far as to say that the people who should apologise apparently are the Australian government.

Our serving men and women deserve a lot better than this sort of grubby attack. They deserve an opposition leader who mans up, an opposition leader who says, 'I don't condone this behaviour.' If the opposition leader had some courage, he would demand that Senator Conroy publicly apologise for these outrageous remarks. If the Leader of the Opposition takes no action, he reduces himself to exactly the same level as Senator Conroy. And, let us face it, if Senator Conroy were in the Army, he would be peeling potatoes right now.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Treasurer's statement two days before the election, 'We're not cutting health, we're not cutting education and we're not cutting Defence.' I also refer to the decision by the government to cut the pay of some ADF personnel by as much as $19,000. Prime Minister, why are ADF personnel paying the price for another broken promise?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do appreciate that the Leader of the Opposition is a little embarrassed by the conduct of Senator Conroy.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Answer the question.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs will desist!

Opposition members interjecting—

The member for Jagajaga and the member for Sydney will desist.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the Leader of the Opposition is embarrassed by Senator Conroy's conduct, he should have a word in Senator Conroy's ear and say that it would be good for his dignity and that of the parliament if he simply apologised to General Campbell.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There was no argument in the question. It was specific to the pay of people who are serving Australia. If anything should deserve direct relevance, it is a question of this nature.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My recollection of the question asked—

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

The member for Kingston is warned! The question as it was asked was reflecting on the situation with regard to pay to ADF personnel generally and why the situation was as you have described; therefore, the Prime Minister's answer is in line with that question.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously anticipating this issue, members opposite have decided that this is some kind of a riposte for the Leader of the Opposition's unwillingness to pull into line his shadow minister for defence. The trouble with this question is that it is false—utterly, absolutely and completely false. It is typical, I regret to say, of this opposition. They never let the facts get in the way of a good smear. That is typical of this opposition.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence on my left!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The truth is that the conditions of service of personnel in the Middle East have changed. Haven't members opposite realised that we are no longer in combat in Afghanistan? Haven't they recognised that we have concluded our combat mission in Afghanistan? Haven't they realised that? Well, we have. We have concluded our combat mission in Afghanistan.

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kingston will remove herself from the chamber under standing order 94(a).

The member for Kingston then left the chamber.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the Leader of the Opposition forgotten that he and I both went to Tarin Kot to solemnly observe that our combat mission had ended? Because the conditions of service have changed, the relevant allowances have changed. That decision was made quite properly by the service chiefs in response to the changed conditions of service in Afghanistan. I can see the member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon, sitting there squirming in embarrassment at this grubby tactic on the part of the opposition. You should be embarrassed by Senator Conroy's behaviour—

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're a puddle of grubs.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sorry, what was that?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're a puddle of grubs.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not hear the interjection. If it was offensive, I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to assist. I withdraw.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The best way to deal with this issue is for the Leader of the Opposition to ask Senator Conroy to apologise.

Opposition members: Time! Time! Time!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be quiet on my left, particularly from the member for Isaacs. If there was not so much noise on my left, I would have been looking at the clock instead of you.