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

Before I was so rudely interrupted on this very important motion set out by the member for McMahon, I was saying that the Australian government is committed to helping these people. We have committed humanitarian assistance and we have created a special visa class in order to assist those people fleeing from persecution. It is very important that we do all that we can in this place to condemn the actions that have been taking place, to assist those people who require assistance and to make sure that we utilise the international fora—which we have been doing on many occasions, through a number of UN Security Council resolutions—to make sure that that assistance can be achieved.

Finally I would just like to quote the Prime Minister, who said, I think very eloquently:

… I stress, peaceful democracies, peaceful pluralist democracies like Australia shrink rightly and understandably from reaching out to these conflicts but just because we would prefer to stand aside from these conflicts doesn't mean that these conflicts will stand aside from us.

The people who are active in the terrorist groups in northern Iraq and elsewhere hate us as much as they hate the people that they are currently attacking. They hate us not for what we've done, they hate us for who we are and for what we are.

I commend this motion to the House, and everyone in this place stands in allegiance with those people who have been persecuted so unjustifiably. You have our support. (Time expired)

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