Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence. I refer the minister to comments by the Assistant Minister for Defence on the ABC's Q&A program, where he said, and I quote:

I just run the department. … I just make Defence actually work.

Given that the Prime Minister's office is making all of the decisions on Australia's future submarine project, the Defence minister was overruled on his preferred candidates to write the Defence white paper, he has had staff imposed on him by the Prime Minister's office, the minister has refused to intervene about the new pay deal for ADF personnel that cuts their wages and he is continually being undermined by his senior cabinet colleagues, Minister, who is actually running the Defence department? And who is making it work?