Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to contribute on the Omnibus Repeal Day (Spring 2014) Bill 2014 and associated amendments. I will focus my comments on the opposition's amendment which guarantees that the Future Submarine Project tender process is accountable and carried out with Australia's national interest in mind, which will be in complete contrast to the way the Abbott government have proposed to carry out the build of our future naval shipping. The government have given every indication, through their Minister for Defence and Prime Minister, that they are prepared to abandon and betray Australia's defence shipbuilding industry and Australian designers, engineers, apprentices and tradespeople.

This Senate has censured the defence minister, who is responsible for Australia's naval shipbuilding industry. It is timely to remind this chamber of the points of that recent successful censure motion. I agree that the Minister for Defence has: (1) insulted the men and women of ASC by stating he 'wouldn't trust them to build a canoe', (2) undermined the confidence in Australia's defence capability, (3) threatened the integrity of Australia's defence procurement project, (4) broken his promise made on 8 May 2013 to build 12 new submarines at ASC in South Australia and (5) cut the real pay, Christmas and recreational leave for Australian Defence Force personnel. And, despite a clear message from this Senate to the PM, he has arrogantly refused to listen. Mr Abbott has refused to stand up for the men and women who build our ships. He has failed to stand up for the generation to come who will build our ships.

This has now become a matter of leadership and the fact that the defence minister has not been ordered to step aside following a successful censure motion by the Senate is a poor reflection on the Prime Minister. The people of Australia have stopped listening to him now. Broken promise after broken promise by the Prime Minister and his defence minister have destroyed their credibility and the willingness of the people of Australia to listen or trust. The fish rots from the head down, and this Liberal government is on the nose with ordinary Australians and the men and women of our naval shipbuilding program and, of course, our Australian Defence Force personnel.

Again I remind this chamber that the government of Australia should have followed the advice of the now Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove. As the former Chief of the Defence Force Sir Peter said:

Whenever I am asked why we should build submarines in Australia, my short reply is that we can’t afford not to.

Again I remind this chamber that the Australian government has identified the need to build about eight warships at a cost of $100 billion over the coming decades. Adding maintenance across the ships' lifetimes, the outlay is closer to $250 billion. I repeat that I want Tasmania to have a fair share of that $250 billion worth of Australia's shipbuilding. I remind this parliament that Tasmania can also play an important role in Australian shipbuilding for our Australian Defence Force. If this defence minister is allowed to have his way—if he is allowed to remain in this high office, undermining national security by his lack of credibility, leadership and respect for the truth—then my state of Tasmania will lose all hope of ever contributing to that $250 billion national defence building program.

Tasmania has a maritime network taking the world by sea. Like others states, we have world-class maritime engineers, designers and shipbuilders. We have Incat, APCO Engineering, the Australian Maritime College, Cawthorn Welding, Revolution Design, Plastic Fabrications, Richardson Devine Marine, Sabre Marine & General Engineers and many more. Tasmania has world-class skills in training and research. We have the Australian Maritime College, the Asia Pacific Maritime Institute, CSIRO and Skills Tasmania. Why shouldn't Tasmanian designers, shipbuilders, tradespeople, apprentices, trainers and small business owners share in the work and the wealth that is generated by ships and other equipment built for the Australian Defence Force?

I am for Australian workers and building Australian ships and other machinery to defend our nation; this government has shown that it clearly is not. I support this bill and the amendment put before the chamber by the opposition, which will ensure a fair go for Australian workers and companies.