Stirling Griff (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday in question time I asked Senator Payne about the government's decision to acquire nuclear powered submarines. Given the subs won't be delivered until the 2040s and the strategic threat from China is likely to have passed long before then, I asked her to explain that decision. It was revealing that no explanation was forthcoming. I do not blame Senator Payne for this. Instead, it is a symptom of this government's tendency to make big announcements to catch the spotlight with that showy display without doing the work to ensure decisions are right.

The government has committed this country to acquiring nuclear powered submarines at huge and unknown cost. It has committed this country to supporting the United States in defence of Taiwan at huge and unknown cost. It has undermined our relationship with France, a key partner in the Asia-Pacific, at huge and unknown cost. It has deeply damaged our relationship with China, which until recently was our biggest trade partner, at huge and unknown cost. It has done all this without clear justification. The Prime Minister and his cabinet have made these decisions on our behalf without telling us why they are necessary or why we should bear these costs.

Instead of acquiring nuclear submarines, we could have acquired the French submarines and still had enough money left over to transform every school and hospital in Australia. We deserve better government than this. We deserve a government that actually works through policy options, weighs up the consequences and makes decisions in the national interest, not their personal political interest. That is what we were elected for, and that is what the Australian people deserve.