Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the words of the Prime Minister. Australia has lost another fine soldier: Private Matthew Lambert of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. On this sad day our thoughts are with his wife, his family and his friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the other allied soldier wounded in the same incident, they are with the family of the New Zealand SAS soldier killed in Kabul last week and as the Prime Minister has mentioned they remain with the families of the other 28 Australians who died serving our country in Afghanistan.

At a time like this we must obviously count the cost of staying in Afghanistan but we must also reckon the greater cost of withdrawing: possibly the destabilisation of Pakistan, probably the return of the Taliban, almost certainly a new feudalism in Afghanistan and the rolling back if not the destruction of the social progress of the last decade. We best honour the dead by remaining true to the cause they served. On behalf of the coalition I echo the Prime Minister's words that we will stay the course and on this sad day our hearts go out to everyone who knew Private Lambert.

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