Member for Riverina and Assistant Defence Minister, Michael McCormack, caused a stir in federal parliament on Thursday when he accused Labor of not giving a “ship” about defence.
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Mr McCormack was attacking Labor’s record on defence and other matters after the release of the government’s Defence white paper earlier in the day.
The inference was obvious, but the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bruce Scott, thought Mr McCormack had actually used the famous swear word and demanded he withdraw it.
“The Assistant Minister for Defence will not use such language and he will withdraw that word,” Mr Scott said.
“I do not intend to repeat it for him, he knows what it is.”
Amid the uproar on the floor of parliament, a female voice – obviously friendly fire from the Coalition’s side of the house – spelled out what word Mr McCormack had used.
“Well, they didn’t build one ship, they did not build one ship,” Mr McCormack then said of the former Labor Government.
“I misheard, I thought you were using another word, I apologise,” Mr Scott said.
Having dodged a bullet, Mr McCormack went on to fully explain his double meaning:
“They did not build one ship under their watch,” he said.
He later uploaded his speech to You Tube.
The reference to Labor not giving a ship about defence starts at the 5:05 point in Mr McCormack’s speech.