George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

As Senator Heffernan rightly says, Senator Conroy has slunk out of the chamber. Senator Conroy has, in a shame-faced and weasly way, slunk out of the chamber, because he cannot face the truth of his record in government, both in his own portfolio and on matters of defence policy.

We know, and Senator David Johnston said in his statement to the Senate this morning, that yesterday in question time Senator Johnston made a rhetorical flourish, eight words, for which he has apologised and expressed his regret. And he has not been slow in doing so. We also know what Senator Conroy said more than nine months ago, at estimates on 25 February this year. Senator Stephen Conroy, who is the Labor Party's alternative minister for defence for this country—let us never forget that: this man who cannot even face the chamber when Senator Johnston is under attack in the chamber, who does not have the courage to stay in the chamber—nine months ago did not make a rhetorical flourish, he did not make a slip of the tongue, he did not let verbal exuberance get the better of him for a moment in question time. No. He made a deliberate, calculated and disgusting slight on one of Australia's most distinguished soldiers: Lieutenant General Angus Campbell. In Senate estimates he accused Lieutenant General Angus Campbell of being engaged in a political cover-up. When Lieutenant General Campbell—a better man than Senator Conroy could ever be—said, 'Senator, I would like to put on the public record that I take extreme offence at the statement that you have made', and when the chair of the committee required Senator Conroy to apologise, he was steadfast in his refusal. He mocked the chair, over two pages of Hansard, it is reported, to the eternal disgrace and shame of this individual, Senator Stephen Conroy. The committee retired for a few minutes and afterwards: still no apology from Senator Conroy. In a formulaic way, he said, 'I withdraw'. But, to this day, nine months and more after this disgusting slur was made on the integrity of one of Australia's finest soldiers—a three-star general, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell—there has been no word of apology to that gentleman from Senator Stephen Conroy. That is the quality of the individual who was the alternative defence minister of Australia, and then he chastises. He seeks to make endless rhetorical capital out of the fact that my friend Senator David Johnston made a slip of the tongue for which he, promptly and in a timely way, corrected and expressed his regret in the chamber this morning.

We could spend this morning debating the relative merits of Senator Stephen Conroy as the alternative minister for defence and Senator David Johnston, a very fine Minister for Defence, but it would be perhaps more fruitful to debate the record, because the other thing we did not hear from Senator Conroy in a 20-minute-long contribution was anything about Labor's defence policy. Not a word of defence of the Labor Party's record in this portfolio in the six years of the Rudd and Gillard governments. We heard a lot of sleazy ad hominem attacks on Senator David Johnston. We heard a lot about industry policy but nary a word about defence policy. That is the problem with the Labor Party: they do not see the difference. They do not have a defence policy. They did not release a defence policy before the 2013 election. That is how much they care about defence. They did not even bother to release a defence policy before the 2013 election.

But why would that surprise you? When they were in office Prime Minister Gillard did not even bother to go to meetings of the national security committee of cabinet. She did not even bother to attend the most important subcommittee of cabinet. In fact, as we know from the memoirs of some of her ministers, she sent her bodyguard. So, when the Labor Party cry streams of crocodile tears about defence policy, remember this: no defence policy before the 2013 election and no attention to the national security committee of cabinet by the Prime Minister of the day.

I might say that I had the honour to sit in the national security committee of cabinet with Senator David Johnston. Without breaching the confidentiality of that committee I can tell you that Senator David Johnston, one of the great quiet achievers of this government, is not very quiet in that committee. He constantly astonishes us with the depth, granularity and sophistication of his knowledge of defence systems and defence procurement. Senator David Johnston has a depth of knowledge and understanding of this portfolio, in particular the complex issues of defence procurement, the like of which I have never seen in a defence minister.

Of course, one can understand that the Labor Party when they were in government never came up with a minister with a grasp of the issues, because in six years they had three defence ministers. They lost their first—