Debate resumed on motion by Mr Hayes:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) for more than 2,000 years religious groups such as Assyrians, Mandaeans, Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Aramaic speakers have called Iraq home;

(b) in 2003, Australia was part of the 'coalition of the willing' that invaded Iraq in the belief that Iraq harboured weapons of mass destruction;

(c) since 2003 there have been horrendous acts of persecution against these religious minorities in Iraq, including murders, bombings and extortion; and

(d) the Catholic Church reports that one million Christians have fled Iraq since the 2003 invasion; and

(2) recognises that:

(a) thousands of people are sheltering in Syria, Egypt, Jordan and the northern regions of Iraq because they feel they cannot return to their homes for fear of death and persecution;

(b) due to our part in the 'coalition of the willing', Australia has a moral responsibility to deal compassionately with these displaced people; and

(c) it will be a damning critique on humanity and the Coalition forces, who have vowed to protect the people of Iraq, if religious groups with such a significant historical link to the region are forced out at the hands of terrorists.

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