Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the Prime Minister's statement on Iraq. It is understandable that many Australians are apprehensive about the risk of becoming involved in another lengthy war in the Middle East. Indeed, as a mother of a son in the ADF, I share their concern. In this place we are all aware of the complexity and political danger of the situation in the Middle East. Any decision to become involved carries consequences. However, doing nothing also involves risks and consequences.

What we cannot escape, what we must acknowledge, is that what we are seeing at the hands of the self-styled Islamic State or, as our Prime Minister more accurately says, the death cult, is a level of barbarism and savagery that threatens every standard of decency. What we are seeing abrogates standards that civilised nations have accepted for generations. What makes this even more dangerous and shocking is the ease with which citizens of longstanding democracies built on a tradition of reason and mutual respect have transformed into brutal killers thriving on a blood lust that shocks us all to the core.

These savages proclaim that their wilful and calculated executions are done in the name of their god. Nothing could be further from the truth. But the dangers are real, not just in the Middle East but also here and in other democracies. Failure to confront these deranged people will haunt us into the future, particularly given the resources available to IS. As the Prime Minister said in his statement to parliament, doing nothing means leaving millions of people exposed to death, forced conversion and ethnic cleansing. This year, more than one million Iraqis have been driven from their homes.

We have now all seen, through the internet and on television, the beheadings, the crucifixions and the mass executions. Australia is working with our international partners to keep people safe abroad and at home. An air drop of food, water and hygiene supplies has been mounted in conjunction with American, British and French aircraft. This involvement has been at the request of the Obama administration and with support of the Iraqi government. There has to date been no formal request for combat forces and no decision taken to become further involved in the conflict. There will be no combat troops on the ground. What is happening currently is an intervention with the Iraqi government in support of the Iraqi government.

I am well aware of the dangers of war. I do not believe in simply rushing into battle. Any decision must be carefully and responsibly made. As always, in times of great danger, we turn to our men and women of the Australian Defence Force—brave Australians serving nation, serving us all. That is another reason why our response and that of the civilised world must be determined with care, and that is exactly what the Australian government is doing. The Australian government is not acting in haste. Decisions and their consequences are being carefully considered. Equally, we must consider the results of a failure to take action. The establishment of the so-called caliphate would shape the foundations not just of the Middle East but also of the world itself.

Australians of all faiths are shocked and horrified by the scenes we see from Syria and Iraq. They are witnessing actions that are totally contrary to our remarkable, inclusive multicultural Australia. We have every right to be proud of our nation. As English philosopher Edmund Burke said:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

We have a deep and abiding obligation to protect our nation, our citizens and our values from these brutal murderers who would destroy our way of life.

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