Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry, Procurement and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers by Senator Campbell to questions from me and Senator Hogg. I was going to make some remarks generally on the issue of military justice, on the reaction of the government to the Kovco inquiry and on the more recent release of the audit report, which both Senator Johnston and Senator Payne have more than adequately addressed in this debate. But I think it is time to place on the record the outrage being felt by the opposition in the way the Minister representing the Minister for Defence in this place deliberately chooses to go about his work and about his business.

In the last two days three questions have been asked on the Joint Strike Fighter project, Private Kovco and military justice. The last question was on Seasprite helicopters. Over the last six to 12 months there has been a huge amount of press on each of those issues. There has also been constant questioning and debate in the various committees of this parliament, and the minister himself has made numerous press releases on each of those issues. They are topical, they are of public interest and they involve, in some instances, huge outlays of taxpayers’ dollars. Any reasonably competent person acting as a representative in this chamber would have properly anticipated that an opposition would ask questions on those topical issues, as we have indicated repeatedly, via press release and other mechanisms, that we would.

But the response from Senator Campbell has been characterised by ignorance, belligerence, bullying and a refusal to answer. His response is insulting, offensive, ignorant and, twice today, just plain wrong. His response is insulting to the Senate in that legitimate questions which should properly be anticipated are not answered. It is not that the department has not provided a brief, and it is not that there are not numerous references in the files as to the questions and possible suggestions for answers, but because the minister refuses to bring the brief into this place and, if he does, he refuses to open it to read the agenda and see where the brief is located. That is nothing other than insulting to the proper role of the Senate.

Secondly, as well as being insulting, his answers are offensive to the family of Private Kovco and offensive to thousands of people in the armed forces who want to represent their country and who expect to be protected by just laws passed by their government. Senator Campbell’s response is offensive to both of those interest groups. Worse, for a minister representing an important portfolio in this area, Senator Campbell is ignorant of the government’s own policy and decisions in both areas.

With regard to the audit report, both Senator Johnston and Senator Payne outlined that the government has released it. It was made pursuant to a recommendation by the Senate inquiry and had 99 recommendations. The government and the Chief of the Defence Force have publicly, via a media release, accepted each of those recommendations. But Senator Campbell’s response was, ‘We will get round to it in due course; it’s an important matter but we haven’t yet had the opportunity to do it.’ Two days ago the government made a response. Two days ago the government said that it would accept the 99 recommendations. What is worse—to be lazy or to be incompetent? In the case of Senator Campbell, it is both. It is deliberate and it is belligerent. He refuses to answer questions, he refuses to make himself familiar with the work he has been allocated and he refuses even to open the file that has the answers to questions that can reasonably be anticipated.

In respect of the report into Private Kovco, that has been in the press almost every day for the last nine months. When the government released its response via the chief of the armed forces, it put out a 30-part implementation plan addressing each of the recommendations and a time plan for implementation. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.