SENATOR PENNY WONG, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE: We are here today to talk about submarines and about jobs in South Australia. We all know before the last election David Johnston, who was then Tony Abbotts spokesman on defence matters said very clearly and I quote the Coalition today is committed to building 12 new submarines here in Adelaide. Thats what he said, 12 new submarines here in Adelaide.
Ever since the election we have seen Tony Abbott crab walk away from that promise, and the latest instalment was Minister Mcfarlane yesterday who made very clear that the first few submarines are unlikely to be built in Adelaide, a concession.
Now today on radio Christopher Pyne described criticism of that as splitting hairs. He said the Government walking away from that promise to build submarines in Adelaide was splitting hairs.
Well, I have this message to Christopher Pyne - for the workers and their families whose jobs depend on building submarines in Adelaide it is not splitting hairs. It is not splitting hairs. This is about their jobs, their livelihoods, and all we are seeing from this Government day after day is crab walk away from a very clear promise before the election to South Australians - that South Australias jobs would be maintained and that the submarines would be built in Adelaide.
SENATOR STEPHEN CONROY, SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE: Thank you. If you needed further evidence of the Government selling out the workforce in South Australia, you just need to see the answer that the Department of Defence have supplied in the last few days to a Senate Estimates question.
We asked about jobs being lost in South Australia and the answer was very simple. The 500 jobs, the claim about the 500 jobs that this Government is now trying to use as its cover, contained no construction jobs. The government is trying to pretend to the people of South Australia that it will be delivering work to South Australia, but that work does not include construction jobs.
Youve seen the RAND report recently, a $1 million report commissioned by the government list, list in a column that the submarines would be built overseas. Its obvious now to everybody, including the governments own South Australian back bench, who asked questions yesterday in the party room. They know whats going on.
There is a softening up process taking place, by senior Government Ministers, because they know theyve already done the deal to deliver the submarine build to Japan.
When their own backbenchers dont believe Tony Abbott, when they dont believe Matthias Cormann, when they dont believe Christopher Pyne, you know that the game is up. The Governments own back benchers are questioning openly the process that Tony Abbott has put in place.
This sham process, this competitive evaluation, which will not even see two contracts put on the table. Heres a contract to deliver, with X dollars by X day, against a contract that will deliver Y dollars by Y day. This process will not even get to that point.
This is a process to allow Tony Abbott go ahead with his Captains Pick and give the submarine build to Japan. Its an outrage. His own backbench dont believe him and neither should the people of South Australia.
WONG: Any questions on Submarines?
JOURNALIST: The Minister will be in Japan within a couple of days, what do you think should come, I mean he has been to France and Germany already. Do you think the process is kind of weighted to some degree that industry say they dont feel they are on a level playing field with Japan anyway, in the sense that its a government to government process. So what should come out of that Japan visit?
CONROY: No. What you have is a very uneven process. The French and the German companies are not being treated in the same way as the red carpet treatment that the Japanese government and the Japanese companies behind the government are being treated.
All the evidence is there. There is an inordinate focus, theres government to government contacts. There is no government to government contact with France or Germany.
This is fix. This process is weighted to deliver Tony Abbott his preferred outcome which is to give the submarine build to Japan.
Industry are right to say this process is not fair. This process is not a level playing field and the process should be stopped and the proper processes should be commenced.
There is still time to get this right, to get a proper competitive tender process as we have outlined. Times running out for the government to fess up, but there is still time to get this process right and get the best weapon for Australia, the best piece of military equipment for Australia.
Its still possible to do, but Tony Abbott has to give up his decision to give the submarine contract to Japan and have them built in Japan.
JOURNALIST: Senator Conroy can I ask about your opinion on same sex marriage bill that Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek are going to put into the house?
CONROY: Ive got the same position as the last time this was voted on. I strongly support the conscience vote and I dont support same sex marriage. I have the same position as Ive had previously.
JOURNALIST: If you guys win the next election do you reckon it will be too late to do anything?
CONROY: The work on submarines I presume were talking about. It depends on when the next election is.
If there is an early election obviously we will be in a position where we can make decisions. If we were lucky enough to win that election, if the people of Australia put us in to government. It just depends on when that election is.
What the Government should do is put in place a proper process. Put in place a proper process, a competitive process, a level process.
The industry are privately saying and publicly saying it is not a level playing field. The Japanese are getting the red carpet treatment and the Germans and the French are getting perfunctory treatment. That is obvious. It obvious if you talk to the people who are involved in this process.
It is not good enough for Tony Abbott to put a rorted process in place and deliver an outcome that locks Australia in to a project which is not necessarily the best value and guarantees the maximum Australian build. We support the build in Australia, just like Tony Abbott and David Johnston said before the election.
This is their promise. Theyre breaking it and more and more evidence keeps piling up. Thanks very much.
WONG: Just in relation to marriage equality, this is a debate that has been around for a long time. I remember in 2004, I think it was, when John Howard moved amendments to the Marriage Act and the debate at that time. And what has been really pleasing since that time is the level of support since that time that has grown in the Australian community.
So it is a great thing that Bill Shorten, as the alternative Prime Minister, has sought to bring this debate on. I think there is a strong mood in the community for this change and I think it is time this Parliament gets the job done and I think we can if people in the Liberal Party are prepared to behave like a liberal party and if the Prime Minister is prepared to grant a free vote. Any questions to that?
JOURNALIST: Do you think putting this bill to the floor will change any of the debates that are going to be had at National Conference?
WONG: I was one of the people who campaigned very strongly and advocated strongly for the change in Labors platform at our previous National Conference to support marriage equality, my views on that are well known. But the more important debate is what happens in this Parliament, the more important issue is the outcome and getting marriage equality from an issue of debate, to part of the law in Australia.
I think thats what millions of Australians want, thats what millions of Australians want, so lets deliver that. I think its time the Liberal Party moved away from the outdated position that Tony Abbott has held for so long and started acting like a liberal party and Id say that those people inside that party who do support marriage equality, they ought not be bound to vote against a position - that delivers this reform.
JOURNALIST: But Senator your party, people in your party such as Tanya Plibersek have been arguing that your MPs should be bound. Isnt there an inherent contradiction there?
WONG: Look we will have a discussion at national conference about-
JOURNALIST: -But whats the difference if Tony Abbotts MPs shouldnt be bound, then why should Labors be bound?
WONG: Because the most important thing is delivering results. The most important thing is delivering results. I have been part of this debate for many years and let me tell you, what I am most interested in and what millions of Australians are most interested in, is making sure we achieve marriage equality in this country. Now my views on the conscience vote are on the public record. Theyve been the same for a number of years now and Id invite you to consider them and I stand by them.
But I would say now, the issue is can we get the votes to deliver it in this Parliament and the only way we can get that is if the Liberal Party behave like a liberal party.
Thank you.