Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to be Minister for Defence. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government's actions to create and maintain strong defence regional security relationships keeps Australians safe and secure, and is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to say thank you very much to the honourable member for her question and for the support that she provides to veterans in her local community.

We know that our nation is facing the most complex and potentially catastrophic regional security environment since the Second World War. The threat now posed by the Chinese government's aggression is a very real, and it's growing. We've seen an unholy alliance between the Chinese government and the Russian government, with President Putin. Both countries have been a very open about that relationship, and that should , I think, cause great concern right across the world, particularly in our own region. We have worked very closely, together, with partners. We have an incredible alliance through our Five Eyes and with our AUKUS partners. Minister Payne is in Melbourne this afternoon to meet with her counterparts in the foreign ministers' Quad. That is a coming together of like-mindeds.

And there are many countries in Europe and elsewhere across North America and around the world who are worried about what is happening in the Indo-Pacific, so this government has invested more into our defences and into keeping our country safe into the future. We did that off an incredibly low base because Labor, when they were last in power, cut funding for defence to the bone. That's the reality. They want to pretend now that somehow there's no difference between the two parties when it comes to defending our nation in the next decade and the decade beyond.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Gorton!

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nothing could be further from the truth. If anyone has been less prepared to put themselves forward as a potential prime minister of this country when it comes to the issue of national security, I'm not aware of anyone less prepared, maybe apart from Mark Latham, than this man.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Paterson will leave under 94(a).

The member for Pat erson then left the chamber.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We now see evidence that the Chinese Communist Party—the Chinese government—has also made a decision about who they're going to back in the next federal election. That's open. That is obvious. And they have picked this bloke, the Leader of the Opposition, as their candidate.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

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

Mr Speaker, I draw your attention to pages 516 and 517 of Practice. This House has various precedents with respect to unparliamentary language, but anything that goes to whether or not people are, in fact, guilty of treason, sedition or anything against the national security of this nation has been dealt with by speakers in the strictest terms. The Leader of the House, given that he is the Leader of the House, is meant to know this better than anyone on that side. Eyes wide open is going right there. He has made that clear. When you asked him to sit down, he kept going.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House. I just want you to address the point of order.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, and with reference to Practice as referred to by the honourable member opposite, there was no such allegation made against the Leader of the Opposition. Mine was a reflection on what has been publicly reported and commented on by the Director-General of ASIO. There are media reports today in relation to these serious matters. I have not made any allegations against the Leader of the Opposition, which is the way in which it was framed by the Manager of Opposition Business. Mine is a reflection of the Chinese government, the actions of the Chinese government, and that is the context in which I made the comment, and it is perfectly in order. It might be uncomfortable for those opposite, but it is perfectly in order.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. I am very familiar with the provision that the Manager of Opposition Business refers to on a page 517. In fact, I spoke about it in question time today, about references to corruption, deliberate dishonesty et cetera. Previous Speakers have ruled on things such as sedition and treason. If the Leader of the House had referred specifically to a member of the Labor Party or members of the party—

An honourable member interjecting—

Look, I am just not going to take interjections while I am a ruling on a point of order, so whoever is interjecting will cease immediately. Part of the problem in this role is when the level of interjections is so high I can't hear exactly what is being said. I did not hear the Leader of the House say anything that would have offended this provision, or the way that the House has dealt with these issues of inappropriate or alleged inappropriate conduct. So I am going to give the call to the Leader of the House—

An honourable member interjecting—

I am going to give the call to the Leader of the House. The Leader of the Opposition can resume his seat. I am going to listen very carefully. If you want me to rule on these things, you have got to allow me the opportunity to actually hear what is being said. That shouldn't be rocket science. The Leader of the House.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, we live in incredibly uncertain times. I will tell you what the Australian people want at the moment: they want strength in relation to the way in which we are going to deal with that uncertainty, with that aggression and with that threat to our sovereignty and to our democracy. This Prime Minister has made decisions in relation to laws, to strengthen laws to protect our country—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton will leave under 94(a).

The member for Gorton then left the chamber.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If I can reflect on the time when those opposite were in government, they passed no national security legislation to support— (Time expired)