Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. The invasion of Iraq was based on a lie and we should not put further Australian personnel in harm's way in furtherance of that lie. This motion must be passed and the standing orders must be suspended because this may be the only opportunity this parliament gets to debate the potential deployment of Australian troops overseas in Iraq. At the moment we have a lack of clarity about the government's intention and we also in Australia, unlike many other Western democracies, have no requirement for the parliament to debate and approve declarations of war or the deployment of our forces overseas.

Given the atrocities that people right around this country are seeing on their screens every day and every night and the urgent need in the Australian community to understand exactly what is happening and how best to respond, we have to have this debate to ensure that we avoid the mistakes of the past. If military intervention were a cure-all, we would not be seeing these atrocities now. We were told last time, on the basis of a lie, that invasion in Iraq and joining in would create a democracy in that country and would remove weapons of mass destruction—weapons which we were never found.

People knew at the time—and we, the Greens, said this at the time—and people certainly understand now that we went to war on the basis of a lie. People want us to avoid making that same mistake again. What worries me greatly is that when it comes to requests for Australia to get involved in a war, this Prime Minister, like previous prime ministers, cannot seem to say yes quickly enough. There is very grave concern amongst people that there will be a deployment of Australian troops and they will be put in harm's way when that might, in fact, make the situation worse.

If you want any indication of the folly of further military intervention there now, look at the fact that there is currently discussion underway about potentially having Iran as a partner in some military exercise. This is the state that we were told was part of the axis of evil and now, apparently, it is justifiable to openly consider working together with this state to intervene in Iraq. If that does not tell you the folly of believing that we here in Australia can assist in the peaceful resolution of severe and horrific problems on the other side of the world simply by military intervention, then nothing can.

This provides us with the opportunity to take stock. It provides the Australian parliament and the Australian community with an opportunity to say that a mistake was made back in 2003, mistakes have been made since then and we now realise that military intervention will not bring about democracy in countries like Iraq. I heard a 16-year-old former Iraqi refugee on the weekend say that she had watched as her schoolmates were arrested and then killed. She and her generation view Australia, the United States and our allies as an occupying force that is making things worse. As she, in tears, pleaded for understanding about what was going on and for assistance in defeating terrorist activity in her country, she also said: 'Please, do not believe that going in and invading will somehow help us. Just look at the history and understand that, if you want to help, help us create democracy, do not help us descend into another war.' There is a very real risk that, unless this motion is carried, Australia will make things worse.

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