Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence Industry. Will the minister inform the House on how the Morrison government's record investment in Australia's defence industry is creating jobs and strengthening Australian manufacturing, including in my home state of Queensland? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Herbert for his question and his outstanding support for local defence industries in Queensland. I also acknowledge his service to his nation.

I say to the men and women of the ADF: this government has your back. In Queensland we're building 211 next-generation vehicles at Rheinmetall's new facility, for our Army. This is a truly national program, creating 1,450 jobs right across the nation. In Western Sydney, Thomas Global Systems is delivering the trainer system for these Boxer vehicles. Melbourne based Cablex will deliver the cabling for these vehicles, and Tectonica will deliver the night-fighting capabilities for the Boxer vehicles. Still in Queensland, in the electorate of the good member for Forde—another defence industry champion—Holmwood Highgate has secured an additional $30 million Defence contract to deliver water and fuel containers for our Army vehicles, supporting 150 important jobs for this proud family owned business.

All of this is possible because of our government's $270 billion investment in our defence capability. Not only are we delivering thousands of jobs and opportunities for defence industry right across the country; we're also building at home what we need in order to defend our nation, unlike those opposite, who shamefully gutted $18 billion from their defence budget—cutting capability, cutting jobs and, very shamefully, risking the defence of our nation at the same time. But our plan is pretty clear. We're building ships in Adelaide and Henderson, we're building armoured vehicles in Queensland and we're delivering world-class facilities and infrastructure.

This government's record speaks for itself. We are getting on with the job of delivering for our men and women in uniform. But, shamefully, we know that this isn't a priority for those opposite. The Leader of the Opposition failed to mention the defence of our nation in his budget reply speech. And just ask the member for Paterson. We know what she says. She says that her party is sleepwalking off a cliff. So you don't need our opinion.

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

The minister will pause. The minister was asked about alternative policies. She wasn't asked about criticisms of what those opposite have said, because that is outside the standing orders. So you will need to stick to policies that have been put forward by someone else—that is, an alternative—and if that happens to be the opposition, which it almost always is, you'll need to say what those alternatives are.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think the Australian public and men and women in uniform know what we stand for. We stand on our record—unlike those opposite who are too busy fighting amongst themselves.