Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian government’s mission in Afghanistan is clear-cut. The mission is to train an Afghan national army brigade within the province of Oruzgan in order to provide a basis for security, in time to be transferred to the Afghan National Army to provide security in that province. Secondly, it is also to engage in training support for the Afghan National Police, to assist with civil policing functions within that province as well. Our third mission is to assist within capacity building within the provincial administration of Afghanistan, within the province of Oruzgan, so that that provincial administration can in time also assume responsibility for taking on the civil roles within that part of the country. That is our mission statement.

As I have said consistently, Australia’s policy in Afghanistan is to be there for the long haul. Our policy is also to be there to realise that mission statement and, once that mission statement is completed, to withdraw our forces—as you would expect.

I would also contrast that with the position which was taken on Afghanistan by the previous government. The previous government committed to a military operation in Afghanistan, supported by both sides of the chamber, in 2001 following the terrorist attacks in September of that year.

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