Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for his update to the House and for his three previous updates this year, building on the work he did last year in keeping the House informed.

I join the minister, as we did on the first sitting of parliament this week, in acknowledging the tragic loss of Sergeant Blaine Diddams, a patrol commander with the Special Air Service Regiment who had done 10 tours of duty across Australia's conflict zones, including seven in Afghanistan. He was, tragically, the 33rd soldier to be killed in action on combat operations in Afghanistan and the 16th SOTG soldier killed in action. Since the beginning of this year, 21 further Australian soldiers have been wounded in action, 14 from strikes from improvised explosive devices. A total of 234 Australians have been wounded in action serving their country since the start of combat operations in Afghanistan.

We will not forget them. We will not leave a stone unturned to assist them. I note that, a few weeks ago on Channel 10, Matt Moran aired a story of Private H, from the 2nd Commando Regiment, who was shot in the neck during the engagement that tragically saw the death of Sergeant Todd Langley. What was disturbing about what Channel 10 aired was that Private H was having to pay for alternative treatment to address some of his disability or, indeed, using unit trusts. This should not be. The Chief of Army has quite rightly noted that the system is not perfect and that there are some delays and perhaps too much red tape. This should not be. I simply commit this morning that the coalition will ensure that every wounded soldier is cared for and provided every support, including alternative therapies if needed. I know that the minister is a man of great compassion and will be working towards this end as well.

I note that on 24 June MTF4 handed over its mission to my battalion, the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, now known as the 3RAR Task Group. I commend the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, a classmate of mine from the academy and from RMC Duntroon, Lieutenant Colonel Trent 'Wobbler' Scott. I wish him and his boys and girls—there are many women serving with the 3rd Battalion—all the very best as they seek to do their duty within a very difficult environment. It is an outstanding battalion. They performed exceptionally well during the mission rehearsal exercises. They are well prepared. They are well trained. They are well configured. They have the right gear and the right support.

They are mentoring 4,000 soldiers of the ANA 4th Brigade through numerous valleys, hills, mountains and ravines. Be under no doubt: this is a tough gig. They fight a tough and resilient enemy. They are training the Afghan 4th Brigade from a base that is good, thanks to the great work that the previous battalions at MTF have done. It is still a difficult task.

Recently, members of this House from both sides came back from the Australian Defence Force parliamentary program. Some in Afghanistan spoke very highly, not only of our command elements but of our men and women and the work they were doing—high praise indeed from a bipartisan group that went over to Afghanistan.

I note the minister's comments on 17 July: Uruzgan province has started the third tranche of handing over. Command of the CT-U is now with an Australian command element, noting significant US logistics are still in place. That transition is all in line with the Lisbon and Chicago summits and has been agreed with the Afghan government.

I note the CDF's recent comments that that most ADF personnel will probably be out of Afghanistan by Christmas 2013, in line with the minister's statement that drawdown from 12 to 18 months will be predominantly complete for most of our force. I again posit the coalition's contention—it has been consistent for the last two years—that this should be, and it has been stated by the government that this will be, a metrics based, commander's-judgment-led drawdown. We will come home—we should come home—when the training work is done. I am pleased that from 1 July this year the 205th Hero Corps, of which the 4th ANA brigade is part, assumed lead command for security operations in Regional Command South, which includes four southern provinces, Uruzgan among them.

I note that the post-transition work is still being done. Again, the coalition agrees with the minister that a kinetic element based on the SOTG will remain. We contend again that Australian forces—I believe the minister has made this statement previously—will join our US colleagues for what they call 'Sandhurst in the sand,' and what I call 'Duntroon in the desert'. I still contend that we should let our gunners continue to train in the school of gunnery. Gunners like doing that and they do it well.

Clearly, as we are now 12 months out from an election and 18 months out from transition, the minister will need more and more information as the time gets closer as to how the transitions will look and how it will be done in reality. I thank the minister for his update on detainee management. I thank him for the work that the detainee monitoring team has been doing—106 visits since August 2010 well assures us that the issue of detainee management is being well monitored and well supervised.

I note the minister's statement that in the last two years 1,653 suspected insurgents have been detained. That is a reasonably large number considering the logistic challenges of, post-capture, detaining someone and bringing them back for tactical questioning and interrogation if needed. I thank the minister, as I have previously, for moving our detention, in line with ISAF partners, to 10 days. I also commend the minister on taking action to extend the detention in one case by a further 20 days. As a former military interrogator I understand the challenges of interrogating. The Afghan soldiers are tough men. It was a good decision to extend the time period out to 20 days. It was a difficult decision. I am sure it would have been the right decision.

I note that our enemy continues to use our open and fair processes against us, with 141 allegations of mistreatment in the last two years—90 per cent complaining about treatment at the point of capture. I remind the House that, at the point of capture, taking a suspected insurgent who does not want to be taken involves a modicum of force! It is not surprising that our enemy would complain about that modicum of force being used to detain them, when that is not what they want. I note that no findings have been substantiated and that every issue of complaint has been investigated. I can only conclude, using the language of the Australian outback, that our enemy at times are 'a pack of whingers'. I note that we have seen what the enemy do to ISAF soldiers: when they capture ISAF soldiers they are brutally tortured and killed. That does not stop us from being fair minded, open, democratic and accountable. The minister has certainly shown that to be the case, to the government's and ISAF's credit.

Minister, I note that it is still taking an inordinate amount of time to investigate tragic killed-in-actions in theatre. The green on blue incident of 29 October has still not been finalised. I note that the US routinely does this in 60 days. Previously, the minister has said that he would expedite this through extra resources. Minister, it would appear, with this incident still being seven, eight or nine months from being completed, that those resourced are not yielding the result that the parliament would like to see.

I think it is fair to say that these investigations need to happen more quickly. If the US can conclude them in 60 days there is no reason why Australia should still be taking nine months. Minister, I also note that the government has 10 sitting days for the Minister for Defence Personnel to respond to my disallowance motion in the House seeking to disallow the cutting of single leave entitlement travel for single members—22,000 single soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen.

Indeed, the disallowance stops on Monday, 17 September. It is important to state the coalition will not allow the pay, travel or leave entitlements of our soldiers, sailors and air men and women to be cut in search of a vain surplus. We have seen the impact of pride in terms of the disaster on our borders. We will not allow that to permeate into our ADF, resulting in the loss of entitlements.

So, Minister, I say to you respectfully: please instruct your Minister for Defence Science and Personnel to schedule a vote on the floor of the House on the cuts to single travel leave entitlements on or by 17 September. We cannot hide behind the CDF's coat-tails on this issue. It is time to vote. Frankly, I am keen to see how the member for Eden-Monaro will vote. He is a man I have great respect for, sitting at the front bench across from me. I want to see how he will vote when it comes to the leave entitlement for single men and women—of whom I believe you have a lot, Sir, in your electorate. I am keen to see how the member for Canberra will vote, considering she has much of the Defence establishment in Canberra. I am very keen to see how the member for Wakefield will vote, considering he has the base at Edinburgh—on or before, Minister, 17 September.

Minister, it will come as no surprise that today I will be moving an amendment to the veterans bill to seek to stop any further debate until DFRDB has been fairly indexed. I have been reliably told, Member for Eden-Monaro, and I am happy to be corrected, Parliamentary Secretary, that you told a veterans forum recently that you may be looking to introduce a private member's bill to index DFRDB pensions CSS and PSS. If that is not the case, the coalition will provide leave as soon as I finish speaking to allow you to correct the record. If it is the case, I say to the member for Eden-Monaro: bring on the private member's bill now—or, more importantly, support the coalition as we seek to stop debate on the minor amendments to the veterans bill coming before the House and support us as we seek to index DFRDB. Either way, the choice is yours. Respond to my contention here. The coalition will provide leave—I am looking at the Manager for Opposition Business—for the member for Eden-Monaro to point out that I am wrong, that he is not intending to bring it in, or to support the coalition. Sir, the choice this morning is yours.

Minister, thank you again for providing an opportunity to update the House on Afghanistan. You have been true to your word in terms of keeping the House informed. We look forward to further updates, especially now we are 12 months from an election and 18 months from the full drawdown. We look forward to further advice and information as to how the drawdown will continue.

See this speech in context