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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that, when parliament resumes next year, Senator Johnston will be the Minister for Defence, Senator Sinodinos will be the Assistant Treasurer, and the members for Dobell and Paterson will still be sitting in this parliament?

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

Senator Johnston—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

There will be silence.

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

is doing a fine job clearing up the mess that he inherited—

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

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

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

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

The Minister for Defence is doing a fine job, addressing the problems that this government inherited from Labor, in one of the most vital portfolios of all, the portfolio that deals with the defence of our nation. Let us be under no illusions about the problems in this area that this government and this minister inherited. The report into the air warfare destroyer project showed that this was a project that was $300 million over budget and 21 months behind schedule. The Minister for Defence has my full confidence and he deserves the full support of this parliament.

As for Senator Sinodinos, he is the subject of an investigation in New South Wales, and I very much hope that Senator Sinodinos can return to the ministry, but that is subject to the results of this investigation. As for the members of parliament that the shadow Attorney-General mentioned, they are splendid members of parliament who are doing an absolutely outstanding job.

Let me just wrap-up by saying that if there is one thing this government is proud of, it is that this has been a year of delivery by this government for the Australian people. We said we would scrap the carbon tax, the carbon tax is gone. We said we would stop the boats, the boats are stopped. We said we would build the roads, the roads are building. We said we would repair the budget, and that is exactly what it is doing. This budget is under repair notwithstanding all the efforts of sabotage by this Leader of the Opposition. He backstabbed two prime ministers and now he is backstabbing the budget. First of all, he booby traps the budget and now he is backstabbing the results.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. There will be silence. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

He backstabbed two prime ministers and he booby trapped the budget. Now, while this government gets on with the job of budget repair, all we get from members opposite is constant sabotage. This is a Leader of the Opposition who is resisting $28 billion worth of savings, including $5 billion worth of savings that he used to support—shame on him.