Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, I can. Thank you. The coalition hold national security as our highest priority. We've demonstrated in the Pacific that, in a complex geostrategic environment, we will go out and support our partners in very practical ways.

As I said earlier, in contrast, the Labor Party have a very different view. The Leader of the Opposition, of course, has never held a national security role; he's never held a financial role. He's never delivered a budget. He voted to unwind our strong borders under the Rudd-Gillard government, and he has flip-flopped on everything. Now of course he has the Greens in his ear, holding him to ransom, demanding that he cut the defence budget in half—costing jobs and harming our national security. Australians are right to ask if they can trust those opposite with the security and stability of our region.

Senator Watt might not like us highlighting these things, but these are serious questions for Australia and they are serious questions for the stability of our region. If you've got a government that doesn't care about these things, all of these things will be undermined. (Time expired)