Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The opposition’s spokesman on defence matters, Senator David Johnston, will want to make a comment on this. He is currently being briefed, with Senator Faulkner’s assistance, by the Department of Defence on this particular issue. That is why he is not here and that is why the coalition is not giving a formal response to Senator Faulkner’s comments now.