Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think it is a real shame that the member for Sydney did not actually address the substance of the motion but instead gave a bizarre speech about how Australian foreign aid would somehow have stopped these poor schoolchildren in Nigeria being abducted by a proscribed terrorist organisation. I also think it is a real shame that the member for Sydney did not address the substance of this private member's motion on Nigeria but instead talked about foreign aid and yet failed to talk about Labor's lack of credibility on foreign aid when it came to spending foreign aid dollars on an attempt to secure a seat on the Security Council and their diversion of foreign aid for unauthorised boat arrivals—more than 50,000—and their diversion of foreign aid to try to prop up their budget in other ways.

I rise today to speak on the motion that reflects our outrage at the abduction of more than 200 girls from a Nigerian school. This heinous act was perpetrated by the Islamic terrorist organisation Boko Haram, the primary subject of this motion. We are appalled by the thought of these girls being deprived of their liberty, being compelled to change religions and being driven into involuntary marriages with strangers and by the prospect of them being sold into slavery. Our hearts go out to their families, who must be experiencing appalling emotional pain.

Regrettably, this is only one of many repugnant acts perpetrated by this group. This is far from the first abduction committed by Boko Haram, which is also guilty of bombings, murders and rapes. Included in their list of crimes is a wave of bombings in 2012 that killed more than 180 people and this year, on 14 April and 1 May, Boko Haram car bombs in Abjura killed at least 90 people. One of the latest insurgent attacks on the town of Gamboru Ngala has left at least 300 dead and Boko Haram are also suspected of a bombing in a marketplace that killed around 120 people just last Tuesday. The need to address the situation is clear, with the US Congressional Research Service estimating that more than 4,000 people have been killed in the violence and that 300,000 have been displaced.

Boko Haram has two major aims: to implement Sharia, Islamic law, in Nigeria and to oppose the secular westernisation of the country. This means they are particularly opposed to education, as is reflected in their name, which translates to 'Western education is sinful'. So Boko Haram targets students studying a Western style curriculum, girls who are at school, Christian communities and in particular Christian women. According to a 2013 study for Nigeria's Political Violence Research Network, 45 per cent of those killed by Boko Haram are Christian women and children. Indeed, attacks on women and young people have clearly become part of their modus operandi as well as attacks on government buildings, police barracks, churches and mosques.

The willingness of the Australian government to act against this terrorist group is evident in the press release issued by the Prime Minister with Senator George Brandis, the Attorney-General, moving to list Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation. This motion continues in the spirit of that earlier announcement in condemning the abduction of those schoolgirls from Chibok in Nigeria. It recognises our willingness to provide active counter-terrorism support to Nigeria as it strives to free itself from Boko Haram's brutality. In providing such practical support we are joining Britain, France, the European Union and the United States of America. We are also acting consistently with the United Nations Security Council, which, last week, added Boko Haram to the list of al-Qaeda linked organisations. This means that sanctions such as asset freezes and an arms embargo now apply.

This motion and our support are both consistent with Australia's strong stand internationally against terrorism and our commitment to ending violence against women and girls. It is further consistent with our determination to support the economic and political empowerment of women and girls. These are objectives to which Boko Haram are clearly opposed given their willingness to attack schoolgirls at their places of learning. I urge you to voice your repulsion at the criminal actions of Boko Haram and show your support for the Nigerian people by supporting this motion. In the time available I also wish to add my heartfelt concern for the families who are clearly missing their loved ones; I hope for their very safe and speedy return.

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