Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence Industry. Will the minister outline to the House how government is working with industry to support job creation and investment in the defence industry, and what are the alternatives to supporting jobs and growth in this way?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question. The government is focused on supporting aspirational Australians. We're focused on securing our nation's defences and, in the process, creating as many jobs as possible—jobs and investment, jobs and growth—across the defence industry. It's working. It's working in the member for Leichhardt's electorate in particular. To do that we know that we have to cooperate with businesses large and small. We know that we have to recognise that not every worker is a member of a union. It's not 1950 anymore. And we recognise, of course, that Australians are inherently aspirational—

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton is warned.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

as understood by the Hawke and Keating governments. Does that sound familiar? Does that sound a bit familiar? Well, it's all contained in this speech. This is the bloodied dagger masquerading as a speech from the member for Grayndler, plunged into the chest of the Leader of the Opposition. This is the speech in which the member for Grayndler has staked his credentials as the next leader of the Labor Party. Make no mistake. He is still holding out. He's still pretending that the Labor Party has a place for aspiration in it. He's the Lieutenant Onoda of the Labor Party caucus. He's refusing to accept that the Hawke-Keating legacy has been abandoned by the Labor Party. He's darting from one ALP event to the other, between rubber chicken and party pies and pasties, giving a speech here, dropping a column there and trailing his coat-tails so that the Labor Party know that they have an option in the member for Grayndler. He is using the traditional tactics of the guerrilla jungle warrior: appearing and then disappearing again. It's okay. We're not going to let him disappear from view. We're going to make sure the member for Grayndler stays front and centre, like a ninja warrior. We're going to make sure that he gets every opportunity to promote his aspirational agenda for the Labor Party.

Unfortunately, though, I have bad news for the member for Grayndler. The bad news is that the Leader of the Opposition is not interested in this alternative agenda. He's decided he wants to have a war on business. He wants the CFMMEU to be at the cabinet table in a future Labor government. He wants to reject the aspirations of Australians and also reject the Hawke-Keating legacy. He scoffs at aspiration, so I think it's going to be a long, cold winter for the member for Grayndler. I table this speech—this bloodied dagger masquerading as the Gough Whitlam Oration.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the House for that. I'm not sure he would have given leave to have it tabled if it were on the other side.