Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Donald Trump's win is bad for women, bad for people of colour, bad for the climate and bad for democracy. Many people are terrified about what having this dangerous demagogue in charge will mean for the world, including here in Australia. To help keep Australia safe, will you now cancel the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement so that we're not tied at the hip to Donald Trump?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Melbourne for his question. We support the AUKUS arrangements because it is in Australia's national interests. If you think about Australia's defence and what is required in terms of capability for an island continent located where we are in the world, then shipping is obviously a key asset. For Australia, when you look at how a country defends itself, there is no more effective way than through a submarine. If you look at what the most effective form of submarine is in terms of power—because of stealth, because of the amount of time that they can stay under the water, because of undetectability, because of the depth to which they can dive and because of how long they can stay under for—for Australia's national interests, I was convinced through proper briefings with the defence department and with defence officials that this is the correct way to go. I continue to work with Mark Hammond—the Chief of Navy—the CDF and other defence personnel. There's the work that Jonathan Mead is doing as well to ensure—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition can leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Farrer then left the chamber.

We're not going to have people just giving their commentary all throughout question time. There's far too much of it. I want everyone to show more respect and a little more restraint after this week.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was speaking in support of AUKUS, which I thought had bipartisan support across the chamber. It is in Australia's national interests, and it's in our long-term interests. We have put in place phases. We've already had a visit to Australia by a Virginia class submarine that the defence minister and I went into at the base in Perth. We will have, as well, some Virginia class submarines built in the United States, and then we will also have SSN-AUKUS—the same vessels built in the United Kingdom, in Barrow, which I visited as well, and in South Australia. That isn't just about defence. That's about advanced manufacturing here in Australia. It has a massive spin-off, as well, that we're seeing through education, with many Australians engaging already in the United States and in the UK. This is about Australia's national interest. I'll always stand up for Australia's national interest, and that is why I support this program.