Back to regular question time now and Peter Dutton asks:
My question is to the Prime Minister. When did the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister’s office become aware of allegations concerning sexual assault as broadcast by the Project in 2021?
(News.com broke the story earlier in the day, before the Project interview)
Anthony Albanese is prepared for this question:
Well, of course, the Leader of the Opposition asked the question about when did the Prime Minister’s office know about this and indeed that is the question, when did the Prime Minister’s office know. When did the Prime Minister’s office know?
(There are many, many interjections here)
Because…there was of course an inquiry into what the Prime Minister’s office knew and when and who was told, and we still have never seen the Gates inquiry. We still have never seen the Gaetjens’ inquiry.
We know that the Leader of the Opposition asked this question but I’m surprised because he knows – he informed the Prime Minister’s office days before…days and days before there was any public announcement of this.
6m ago
00.23 EDT
Here is the first of our Reader QT questions
Hayden wanted to know:
Given that Defence has failed to meet recruiting targets for more than 10 years in a row, separation rates are at a record high, and the Defence Strategic Review made no specific recommendations into how to fix the problem, what is the Government going to do to fix the workforce issue in the ADF?
….So far the current government’s retention initiatives, announced at the end of last year, and the retention bonus this year, have been met with resounding derision on public forums and social media (as well as in private groups) as being “not good enough”.
Richard Marles responded:
Our Government recognises the challenges Defence faces to recruit, retain and grow its workforce. Investing in our Defence Force personnel was one of the six priorities that we identified in the Government’s response to the Defence Strategic Review.
As I have said previously, Defence is not immune from the factors that we’re seeing in the broader economy. And one of the issues that we faced over the last few years, particularly during and in the aftermath of the pandemic, is really a skills challenge across the entire country. Defence feels this as well.
But this should also be seen in the light of providing opportunities. Defence does a lot of skills and training, so those in the Defence Force are highly sought after in the wider economy, and there are lots of opportunities for people who have had a career in Defence to pursue their career in the wider economy. This also creates a challenge for Defence in…
2023-06-12 23:15:55
Source from www.theguardian.com