STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms WATSON-BROWN (Ryan) (16:04): Who decides Australia's foreign policy? Voters or the defence contractors, aka weapons manufacturers? We're told we must accept second-hand American subs and pay whatever cost they ask.

Who profits from that decision? Defence contractors. We're told we must continue selling F-35 parts that go to Israel, aiding and abetting their genocide.

Who profits off that decision? Defence contractors. We're told we have to accept crazy fuel prices at the servo while sending our planes and personnel to the Middle East at Trump's behest.

Who profits off that war? Defence contractors. You start to wonder: is the government acting in the best interests of Australia and its people, or might they be utterly beholden to US weapons corporations?

Reporting in the AFR reveals that, in 2024-25 alone, Labor and the Liberals accepted over $200,000 in donations from weapons manufacturers. That includes over $100,000 from Raytheon and tens of thousands of dollars from NIOA munitions. Meanwhile, both companies have been awarded giant government contracts in recent years, as Defence spending increases exponentially.

To most Australians, this smells fishy—political donations in one direction and government contracts in the other. That is no way to determine Australia's defence policy and seriously undermines public confidence in our military decisions.