Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence. Can the minister confirm whether anyone outside of his family, personal staff or departmental staff have travelled with him on his defence VIP special purpose aircraft flights?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can confirm that there are those who have—ministers from other governments, representatives of other governments and representatives of the media. But let me again be clear that there are legitimate reasons why those who are not on our staff or in the department would be aboard a special purpose aircraft. The guidelines that are in place I completely comply with and so does every other person in the government who uses the special purpose aircraft. I absolutely stand by the way in which all persons on this side have complied with those guidelines. Again, let me be clear: the special purpose aircraft has a critical function, as those opposite well know, which facilitates government travel. The degree to which the Leader of the Opposition has been desperate to get back on that special purpose aircraft ever since he lost government says everything about what he misses most about being in government.