‘Labor always puts defence last’: Dutton slams govt ‘ripping’ money out of defence

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has slammed Labor for always putting “defence last” and “ripping out” $1.5 billion under the Albanese government despite increasing spending across the economy by $209 billion. “It’s clear that Labor always puts defence last,” Mr Dutton said at a press conference in Adelaide on Friday. “They’ve always got an area to spend money, and defence becomes the piggybank for a Labor government that can’t manage the economy. “We know that in 18 months, the Labor government spent an extra $209 billion, but defence has had money taken out of it. “A billion and a half dollars has been ripped out under Labor, and there’s a human cost to that because people in South Australia will lose their jobs under the Albanese government.”