Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

What a pathetic question that is. I will tell the honourable senator that one of the first things I had to do within three days of getting sworn in was find $1.3 million for the Albany commemorative event because the Australian Labor Party thought they had a lot of great ideas but had no money to pay for them. I was required to find $1.3 million from a budget that was the same as yours in the last term of the Labor government.

Yes, we have financial stresses. I take no issue with that. But I am going to make decisions that will ensure that we can look after contemporary veterans and hold commemorative events because I have an investment in the young people of this country, who I want to understand what their obligations will be in the future to these men and women who have served this nation.