Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bernardi. I think some of the commentary in recent days has particularly come from the Labor member for Wakefield, Mr Champion. I heard him claim that the former government was committed to building supply ships in Australia and that that was not an issue while they were government because 'everybody knew these supply ships were going to be built in Australia'.

Unfortunately for Mr Champion, these ministers did not: the then Prime Minister and the then defence industry and defence materiel ministers. They did not because they announced that they were going to seek options for local hybrid and overseas build or the lease of an existing vessel—no building and the lease of an existing vessel. So what Mr Champion said is quite simply not true, and rewriting history will not erase Labor's appalling record on this.

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Those opposite cannot come in here and play hypocritical games because this is too important to our nation and it is too important to the workers that you purport to represent.