David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Labor left this important portfolio in what has been described, as I say, by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute as 'an unsustainable mess'. In fact, the previous government slashed 10.5 per cent from the 2012-13 budget, the biggest cut since the Korean War, taking us back to a share of GDP for defence to 1938 levels. They moved 119 programs—programs often relating to men and women in the field in Afghanistan and their protection—to the right, delayed another eight and cancelled another 48 whilst we were fighting a war. (Time expired)