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

We are recovering the loss of 5,000 jobs in the defence industry sector because of the inactivity of the previous Labor government. We have set defence spending on a trajectory of two per cent of GDP. The fact is that we have undertaken in just this year so many programs that the defence industry, which I see on a regular basis—indeed, in the last fortnight I have met with three large- to medium-size companies as to understanding how they are going in fulfilling Defence contracts—tell me without fail that the movement in terms of investment by Defence and particularly the DMO in bringing projects forwards is at last welcomed. The fact is that the Labor Party simply looked at small to medium enterprises and said: 'Too bad. We do not care about you.' What this government is doing is rebuilding the portfolio such that Australia has indigenous capability, particularly in small to medium enterprises. And those 5,000 jobs are being recovered on a daily basis.