26.2.14 Australian Defence Force
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (14:27): My question is to the Assistant Minister for Defence. I remind the minister of this statement of the Leader of the Opposition of 23 January this year:
… what I won't do is join in and start attacking our own military personnel … I for one don’t want to see our military being used as some sort of political football.
Minister, how does that compare with the statements made in Senate estimates by the shadow minister for Defence yesterday, and the Leader of the Opposition's response today? And why is this matter important with respect to the morale of the men and women of our Defence forces?
Mr ROBERT (Fadden—Assistant Minister for Defence) (14:28): Let me thank the member for Mitchell for his question, and acknowledge that as he is a former Army Reserve officer he is a man with deep interest in the military.
It is now a matter of national attention that Senator Conroy has opened his account as Labor's Defence spokesman with a grubby and premeditated slur against one of our most respected three-star Lieutenant General officers, accusing him of a political cover-up no less. Six months of near total silence from the opposition's shadow Defence minister and he decides the best way to come out and support those who support us is to sling mud at a general's face.
Let me tell you what the military says. It says, 'The standard you walk past is the standard you accept'. And what the nation wants to know and what this parliament wants to know, Leader of the Opposition, is whether you accept the comments—whether you—
Ms Rishworth: It's a question to you!
Mr ROBERT: Madam Speaker, what the nation wants to know is whether the Leader of the Opposition accepts the comments made by the shadow Defence spokesman. And if not, what is the Leader of the Opposition going to do about it?
Ms Rishworth interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order! The member the Kingston will desist!
Mr ROBERT: The Leader of the Opposition was asked today, 'Do you personally think Conroy went too far?' And the Leader of the Opposition's response? 'The senator has withdrawn his remarks, and that speaks for itself.' Well, the only thing that speaks for itself is that the Leader of the Opposition's abject failure to bring into line his own shadow defence minister is as unacceptable as the original comments themselves. Will the Leader of the Opposition look at what former Labor defence minister, the member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon, said when asked today about his regard for Stephen Conroy? His response was, 'Stephen Conroy is doing an excellent job as the shadow defence minister.'
Mr Burke: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I quote a page you are familiar with. Page 555 ofHOR Practicestates:
As is clear from the above examples, it is not in order for Ministers to be questioned on opposition policies, for which they are not responsible. The Speaker has been critical of the use of phrases at the end of questions, such as ‘are there any threats to ...’, that could be viewed as intended to allow Ministers to canvass opposition plans—
The SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat. There is no point of order.
Mr Burke: Madam Speaker—
The SPEAKER: I said there was no point of order. Do you have a second one?
Mr Burke: Madam Speaker, I have a second point of order. In that instance your ruling must be saying that the minister is responsible for the issues that he is now talking about.
The SPEAKER: I did not make a ruling; I said there was no point of order. I call the Assistant Minister for Defence.
Mr ROBERT: If that was not enough, Senator Conroy was given another chance to apologise. He could not manage it. He could not man up and manage it. He even went so far as to say that the people who should apologise apparently are the Australian government.
Our serving men and women deserve a lot better than this sort of grubby attack. They deserve an opposition leader who mans up, an opposition leader who says, 'I don't condone this behaviour.' If the opposition leader had some courage, he would demand that Senator Conroy publicly apologise for these outrageous remarks. If the Leader of the Opposition takes no action, he reduces himself to exactly the same level as Senator Conroy. And, let us face it, if Senator Conroy were in the Army, he would be peeling potatoes right now.