Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like those who have spoken before me, I rise to support the Prime Minister’s motion of condolence, a motion which, appropriately when unanimously supported, will express the House’s regret at the loss of Private Benjamin Ranaudo. Private Ranaudo gave his life while serving in Afghanistan with Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force 2. He was a member of the Townsville based 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment. As Defence Minister, I was in Townsville with the Chief of Army to send off Private Ranaudo and the men and women who make up MRTF2. That is one of the many reasons I have chosen to speak on this very important motion.

Australian defence ministers face many challenges and burdens, but none is greater than the arrival of news of the loss of a member of the ADF on operations. Being part of a government decision to send young Australians into harm’s way brings a unique feeling of responsibility, but the sense of grief felt by a defence minister pales into insignificance when compared to the grief felt by the loved ones and friends of the fallen soldier. I do not believe I have had the pleasure and honour of meeting with them, but I expressed my deepest sympathy to Private Ranaudo’s mother, Jennifer, his father, Angelo, his stepfather, Terry, his partner, Haylee, and his sisters Amy and Hayley.

If Private Ranaudo’s loved ones are like those of the fallen soldiers I have met then I know that they will be finding strength in the fact that he was a highly skilled and dedicated soldier but also, just as importantly, the fact that he believed in what he was doing and understood and appreciated the risks. One of the many things that stand out when you attend a military funeral is the support the fallen soldier had from his immediate family and their understanding and appreciation of his understanding of what he was doing, his belief in what he was doing and his full appreciation of the significant risks involved.

Believing in what you are doing is a very, very important thing. It is important to both soldier and minister. I, like the volunteer men and women of the Australian Defence Force, believe in what we are doing in Afghanistan. We are there for at least three very important reasons. First and foremost is that we are there to protect Australia and Australians. I do not need to make the case in this place that terror born in Afghanistan directly threatens Australia and Australians. That is an incontestable fact. The second reason we are there, and it is not often talked about, is that we are there as part of an alliance commitment. On 11 September 2001, the American homeland came under attack. Rightly, ANZUS was invoked and we joined with our partners in a response to that attack, in the same way that Australians would expect our US partners to come to our aid if we found ourselves in similar circumstances. I think that is a very important point. The third reason we are there—and it goes, in many ways, to the first reason—is to build an economy in Afghanistan, to bring the people of that war-torn country out of poverty and to protect them from the worst excesses of Islamic extremism.

It is important that we not only believe in why we are in Afghanistan but also believe we can achieve our objectives there. I acknowledge that there are many who do not believe we can meet with success in Afghanistan, and of course they are entitled to their view. Certainly, the challenges are enormous and at times seem insurmountable. But I disagree. Afghanistan, in my view, is a beast capable of being tamed. I certainly would not be part of a decision to maintain our troop presence in Afghanistan if I did not believe that were the case. I know that Private Ranaudo and the 10 Australians who gave their lives before him believed in our prospects of success—I should say 12 Australians, if we keep in mind, appropriately, Rifleman Nash, an Australian who died serving with British forces, and all those who have been wounded in Afghanistan. Our collective determination now must be to ensure that they did not give their lives in vain and those who have been severely wounded did not have those wounds inflicted on them in vain.

We will meet with success in Afghanistan if: (1) all the parties share our determination to meet with success rather than, if you like, go through the paces as part of a NATO alliance commitment; (2) the objective is realistic, and of course the objective is to ensure that we stabilise Afghanistan, protect the democratic processes there and build the capacity of the Afghan government to enforce their own rule of law and their own security; (3) we have sufficient troops and capability; we cannot win the military campaign without sufficient troop numbers and the right capability; and (4) if we have the right strategy—a proper marrying of the military, political and capacity building efforts. When I say political, I do not just mean reconciliation within the country; I mean effectively dealing with those significant issues outside Afghanistan in places like Pakistan.

It might sound like a bit of a cliche, but it is true: Afghanistan is a battle for the hearts and minds of the local people. We will meet with success in stabilising Afghanistan when the vast majority of the Afghan people believe that the economic, social and democratic model we are offering as a partnership is better than that being offered by any other individual or group. They must believe that we are there for the right reasons and that is to improve their country, to raise living standards and, again, to protect them, the population, from the worst excesses of Islamic extremism.

On the operational front, our troops are there simultaneously disrupting the work of the Taliban and building the capacity of both the Afghan National Army and the Afghan national police. It is very important work and it is work they are doing very, very well indeed—exceptionally well—and as members of parliament we should all, collectively, be proud of them. Today we think of Private Ranaudo and his loved ones. We also think of Private Paul Warren, who was severely wounded in the same incident.

I acknowledge the presence of the Reverend Peter Rose in the gallery today. He has just left us but has been here for the majority of this debate. Reverend Peter Rose is the chaplain to the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship. His presence is welcome but also reminded me of the words of a padre or minister at the funeral of Lance Corporal Jason Marks at Holsworthy Barracks. He said, I thought very astutely and quite succinctly—and they may not have been original words on his part, I am not sure, but I appreciated them, particularly coming from a person in his position—that he believed peace is worth fighting for and I agree.

Unfortunately military operations are sometimes unavoidable. What we are doing in Afghanistan is very important both to the Afghan people and to the broader international community. I believe in what we are doing. I know that Private Ranaudo believed in what he was doing. I know all men and women of the Australian Defence Force who are serving there, or have served there, believe in what they are doing, and they are deserving of the highest admiration of all members of this parliament and the broader Australian community.

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