MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator STEELE-JOHN (Western Australia) (17:21): At the request of Senator McKim, I move: That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency: The need for the government to invest in the services and supports disabled people need instead of handing over hundreds of billions of dollars to Trump for AUKUS, at a time when disabled people are fighting for the NDIS supports they need and families are facing increasing cost of living pressures.

In this motion, the Greens ask the parliament to join with us in supporting two key propositions. First is that Australia and the Australian community should not be drawn into an ever-closer relationship with the Trump administration, one that makes us dependent on Donald Trump, locked in to the United States for our so-called defence and security. Whatever you may think of the concept of us funding defence and security in our region by shackling ourselves to the United States, nobody can seriously argue that it is a good idea for us to be guided in our foreign and defence policy by Donald Trump.

The Australian taxpayer, the Australian public, should not be asked to spend over $368 billion buying what seems to be, among other things, a bunch of used nuclear submarines from Donald Trump. I've heard of the art of the deal. This government is a bunch of suckers.

They are allowing themselves to be ripped off by one of the world's most prolific con artists. What else could we do with that money? We could fund the NDIS.

Scrap AUKUS, and there is no need in the world for these cuts. Tax the gas companies, and we'd have even more to provide to the community. Let us choose disabled people and our families.

Let us put disabled folks and our needs first. Let's chuck AUKUS in the bin and fund the NDIS.