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

Mr President, I'm not sure how the supplementary question relates to the original question but, notwithstanding consideration of that basic rule of Senate procedure, I would observe that the exercise to which the senator refers is an exercise of many years standing and is one in which Australia has participated before. If the senator wishes to engage in the same sort of rhetoric that the regime in North Korea engages in, which is to say that exercises are illegal and unlawful and much worse, then that is a matter for him and his political party. The more sensible observers, the more sensible commentators, are trying to deal with this issue in a reasonable, rational and considered way. This includes Australia and our allies. I spoke to the Japanese defence minister this morning, and I will be meeting later this week our allies in South Korea. If the Greens and Senator Di Natale choose not to do that, that is a matter for them.