Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence. I refer to the minister's comments last Friday, when asked about the Royal Australian Navy's involvement in Operation Sovereign Borders. The minister said he was 'not aware of operational matters'. However, the Chief of the Defence Force and the Department of Defence are responsible for the health and safety of Defence Force personnel under the Work Health and Safety Act—a duty which, according to section 14 of that act, cannot be transferred. How can the minister possibly carry out his obligation to ensure the health and safety of our Navy personnel if he is not aware of what they are being asked to do as part of Operation Sovereign Borders?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. The Chief of the Defence Force has sought and issued a declaration of exemption relating to personnel who carry out specific on-water activities under Operation Sovereign Borders. He has acted in accordance with his authority under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Illegal-entry vessels on the open ocean were already an inherently unsafe working environment; and, indeed, may I remind the senator that 50,000 people on 800 boats have underlined how unsafe. Our Navy personnel and our Customs personnel have had to deal with that level of safety due to the public policy failure of the former Labor government. A declaration of exemption will prevent personnel involved in specific on-water activities associated with Operation Sovereign Borders, who are therefore implementing government policy, from being subject to penalties for breach of Work Health and Safety Act provisions in appropriate circumstances. And I remain interested to see what the Labor Party's attitude to that will be in due course. This—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr President: after a very specific question about section 14 of the act and the minister's claim that he is not aware of operational matters, he is canvassing a separate issue which is not relevant to the question. I ask you to draw his attention to the question and to direct him to respond to the question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been listening to the minister's answer. There is no point of order.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This declaration does not absolve senior officers or the Department of Defence itself from responsibility for safety under the Work Health and Safety Act. The safety, protection and welfare of Australian Defence personnel are and will remain the highest priorities for me and the Chief of the Defence Force. The safety of life at sea is and will remain a paramount consideration in the conduct of all operations under Operation RESOLUTE, which is the Defence operation. It is very important to the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy that they have the support of the Australian parliament, which I think is very questionable given the current attitudes—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. On Friday, the minister also said that he was concerned about nine-day turnarounds and post-traumatic stress for Navy personnel involved in Operation Sovereign Borders. But, when asked to explain incidents involving the Navy, the minister said, 'No, I can't—they are on-water matters that are not my responsibility.' All Australians are concerned about our Navy personnel, but the minister is the one who is responsible for their safety. When will this minister take that responsibility seriously?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable senator should be in no doubt that I will at all times take responsibility for the safety of Royal Australian Navy personnel, particularly those involved in this phenomenal policy failure. I will deal with cases of post-traumatic stress in the way they should be dealt with. I will provide the resources, the professional personnel and all of the services necessary to ensure the recovery of affected personnel and to ensure they do not suffer any permanent mental illness from what they have had to deal with because of the dysfunctionality and negligence of the previous government. All water operations related to Operation Sovereign Borders are the province of the Minister for Immigration. The fact is that the Navy has done an amazing job in dealing with more than 50,000 people on 800 boats. (Time expired)

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Hasn't the minister's refusal to take responsibility for the health and safety of Navy personnel in Operation Sovereign Borders—as demonstrated again here today—or to answer any questions about it, allowed a cloud to hang over our Navy personnel? Is it not time the minister allowed the Navy to respond and to clear up the mess that this government's secrecy is creating?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable senator should be aware that my predecessor as Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, in 2011 commenced a mental health support program for people involved in Operation RESOLUTE. So he too agreed that there needed to be a response inside Defence, supported by government, to deal with the problem his government had created. The program comprised—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr President: the minister is not answering Senator Conroy's quite specific question. I ask you to draw his attention to the question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order at this stage.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The program, which I support and will continue to support, comprises a predeployment resilience brief, an annual mental health and wellbeing screening, a screening interview by a psychologist, specific tailored screening, and support in the event of combat or trauma exposure, including referral for further detailed clinical assessment and treatment as required. Until this policy failure, we did not require such treatment for our sailors. We do now because of you! (Time expired)