Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you. Pakistan has always regarded Afghanistan as part of its sphere of influence and the Pakistani intelligence services played a major role in bringing the Taliban to power in the first place. Now the border regions of Pakistan are being used, with the connivance of some elements of the Pakistan army, by the Taliban and al-Qaeda as a safe zone for mounting operations in Afghanistan. I do not doubt that the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who mounted the appalling attacks on Mumbai this week were also trained in the Pakistan tribal territories.

Fortunately, all these problems can be solved. In January we will have a new administration in Washington. President-elect Obama has named a tough, experienced and, dare I say it, hawkish national defence team, with Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Robert Gates at the Pentagon and Marine Corps General James L Jones as National Security Adviser. Anyone who feared that the Obama administration was going be soft on terrorism can be reassured by these appointments. President-elect Obama has committed the US to withdrawing its combat forces from Iraq over the year. This will free up troops and resources for Afghanistan and, just as importantly, will refocus national attention in the US on the war in Afghanistan, to which both President-elect Obama and Secretary-designate Clinton are strongly committed. President Obama will come to power with enormous international goodwill, and I hope and believe he will use that leverage to insist on a unified command in Afghanistan, to insist that the US allies commit more resources to Afghanistan, and to insist that Pakistan regain control over its border areas and stop them being used as sanctuaries for the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

We can now use our influence in Washington to call for renewed focus on and commitment to Afghanistan, as the Minister for Defence has been doing, and for a united strategic approach backed by adequate force to achieve success there. Some argue this may require additional commitment to Afghanistan. That is something I think we should consider. Success in Afghanistan—by which I mean stable, democratic government in Kabul able to defend itself and provide security and freedom to the long-suffering Afghan people—will be the best way of honouring the memory of Lieutenant Michael Fussell and the other six brave Australians who have given their lives in Afghanistan.

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