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

It seems we are approaching unanimity in this chamber with respect to our opposition to this motion—although it could be that the member for Melbourne might have the support of the member for Denison in this debate. But it is pretty clear to me that that is where the support for this motion ends. While I acknowledge that the timing of this motion was completely outside the control of the member for Melbourne, it is very unfortunate that we are debating this motion at a time when families and members of the ADF are mourning the loss of soldiers in Afghanistan.

It is a rather curious motion because it is not all that specific in its terms. It says we should set a date for bringing our troops home from Afghanistan. The member for Melbourne has not been so audacious as to set the date himself. He wants to make the point that we need to bring our troops home, but he wants us, the collective here, who almost unanimously oppose the motion, to set that date for him.

This motion and supporting speech from the member for Melbourne is full of inconsistencies. He wants to glorify the American alliance but talks against it and says that this is only about the alliance. He wants to back our troops but opposes what they are doing in Afghanistan and then, in doing so, hides behind the instructions which have been given to them by the parliament. He wants the parliament to decide when our troops go, but he wants the executive to decide when we bring them home. It is full of inconsistencies. I just read the member for Melbourne's speech at the time of the introduction. It talks very little about when we should come home. It talks a lot about Afghanistan more generally—and we should debate Afghanistan on a regular basis. But it is really lacking in substance in terms of his intention with respect to this motion—and that is his belief that they should come home.

This is populism at its worst because the member for Melbourne is tapping into a sentiment which undermines the commitment of our troops in theatre—the people who are volunteers, following government instruction, doing what they believe is the best thing for their country and its people and indeed the international community. We have had countless debates in this place about our involvement in Afghanistan. We all understand in this place why we are there. I think almost all of us believe it was a worthwhile engagement—not just Australia, not just the United States, but the international community seeking to make the world a safer place, seeking to ensure that Afghanistan does not remain a training ground, a safe haven, a launching pad for those terrorist groups prepared to perpetrate their acts of terror on Australians and others all around the world. That is a pretty good reason to be there. But we cannot let all those who have given their lives in Afghanistan to have given them in vain.

We must remain in Afghanistan until we have completed the task, not just for our own safety, not just for the safety of the international community, but for those Afghans who have backed us in Afghanistan. It is not time to desert them now. People often say to me, 'We can't win in Afghanistan.' What does winning mean? We cannot create Switzerland in the Hindu Kush, but we can create a stable democracy. We can create a government capable of imposing its own rule of law. We can build schools and hospitals. We can give women equal rights. All of those things we have been doing in Afghanistan. No, it will never be perfect. It will not be Switzerland. It will not be Australia. But we can leave there safe in the knowledge that we have trained the Afghan security forces to a point where they are able to enforce their own rule of law. If we leave precipitously before they are ready to do so, all of those lives that have been given might have been given in vain. That would be a very sad mistake. I am very confident, having spoken to many of them in the past, that all those families who have lost people in Afghanistan would be very disappointed with that decision and that outcome.

So let's call a spade a spade: this is a populist motion trying to tap into a minority view in society. I am confident the majority of Australians support our troops and what they are doing in Afghanistan, just like their families do. It is very disappointing, in my view, that the member for Melbourne brings forward such a motion. (Time expired)

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