Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are in a volatile global environment, and Australians want to know that our sovereignty is protected and that we are safe and secure from global threats. Yesterday the defence minister signed the AUKUS agreement, a historic agreement between the UK and the US that will build our defence capability and help us meet our global obligations. You would hope that keeping Australians safe would be a priority for anyone who comes to this place. Paul Keating is one of the most celebrated former Labor prime ministers. Those on the other side love him. They put him on a pedestal. He is a god of the Left. He recently made comments that outed Labor's global defence strategy—that is, 'It's not our problem'. Taiwan is not a vital Australian interest, he said. 'Why should we care about a nation of 25 million people?' is the Labor policy. What an unbelievable statement for the Labor Party to make! If we do not care about a democracy of 25 million people under threat, why would anyone care about our democracy of 25 million people when it comes under threat? It's reckless. Consider what they will do in a power-sharing government with the Greens—the recklessness escalates. The Greens released their defence policy and it was pretty simple: they'd cut the defence budget in half. The Greens in the balance of power, enabled by Labor, would halve the defence spend and leave Australians vulnerable. Well, not under the coalition government. The defence of our nation is important, you as Australians are important and we will always defend our nation and our way of life.