Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—Madam Speaker, the last thing I would want is to have the opposition feel that they were deprived of a full statement by the government on this subject and deprived of an opportunity to respond. That is the last thing I would want. So, if it would suit the opposition, because of the gravity of any decision—even a decision to prepare, not a decision to deploy—I will gladly make a brief statement to the House, to which the Leader of the Opposition will obviously have an opportunity to respond.

But, before making this statement, I should point out that I did first raise the subject of a possible build partner capacity mission to Iraq with the Leader of the Opposition in a phone call to him in January, when this invitation was first extended to us by the Prime Minister of Iraq. I have indicated subsequently to the Leader of the Opposition that it was likely that this mission would eventuate. I have indicated to the Leader of the Opposition that it was likely that New Zealand would be our partner. The Leader of the Opposition was briefed by my office on the details at about one o'clock today, as I was making the announcement with the Chief of the Defence Force and the Minister for Defence.

So, at all times, we have tried to keep the opposition in our confidence, because one thing that I have been grateful for in recent times has been the broad bipartisanship that the opposition has extended to the government on matters of national security. There are many things that we disagree on, but I am pleased that, broadly speaking, we do agree on matters of national security. And I am pleased that the Leader of the Opposition does share my concerns about the rise of the Daesh, or ISIL, death cult, because this is a threat not just to the people of Iraq, not just to the people of Syria, but indeed to the people of this country, who have already been the victims of two terrorist attacks inspired by Daesh here in this country.

I can advise the House that the government has decided to commence the preparation—I stress 'the preparation'—of a military force to contribute to the build partner capacity training mission in Iraq that has been publicly flagged by the government in recent days. This action follows requests from the Iraqi and the United States governments, and the government anticipates that it will be in a position to make a final decision to commit this force in a matter of weeks.

This decision to prepare, prior to a subsequent decision to commit, marks the next phase of Australia's contribution to the international coalition to disrupt, degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL, or Daesh. Already our FA18 Super Hornet strike fighters have completed at least 167 missions. Our air-to-air refuelling aircraft have conducted 156 missions, and our early warning aircraft have conducted 71 command and control missions. Our Special Operations Task Group has been training members of Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service and boosting its effectiveness against priority Daesh targets.

I spoke to Prime Minister al-Abadi last week and when I visited Iraq in January. He did request our contribution to a build partner capacity mission. He requested that we lead a build partner capacity mission—one of four build partner capacity missions in Iraq. When I spoke to him last week, he expressed Iraq's continuing gratitude for Australia's assistance and, in particular, his gratitude for this anticipated next phase of our assistance.

Having stemmed the death cult's initial advance, the Iraqi security forces now require additional support to build their capacity to reclaim and hold territory. While the final numbers are still to be finalised, the potential build partner capacity force would include about 300 Australian Defence Force personnel. The force would comprise a training team with command, force protection and support elements. It would be based at Taji, north-west of Baghdad. I do stress again, as I have already stressed in this parliament and outside it, that this is a training mission not a combat mission. Following discussions with Prime Minister Key in Auckland last weekend, I can confirm that this potential Australian build partner capacity force would work closely with personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force.

Australia is part of a large international coalition. There are some 60 countries, including many Arab countries, that are working together to degrade and ultimately defeat the Daesh death cult. Our principal partners include the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, which are already working to train the Iraqi security forces. I stress, as I always do, that, when it comes to the commitment even the potential commitment of the armed forces of this Commonwealth, the decision is never taken lightly. This decision is a decision in Australia's national interests. Yes, it is ultimately Iraq that must defeat the death cult, but Iraq cannot do it alone—and it should not be left alone to confront the death cult on its own.

While we are always reluctant to reach out to faraway conflicts, this conflict is reaching out to us. Terrorist violence inspired by this conflict has already hit out at us. There are, as we know, about 100 Australians fighting with Daesh and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, and there are about 150 here at home supporting these extremists with recruiting and financing. This fight, far from our shores, is a matter of domestic security as well as a matter of international security. It is a necessary complement to the strong domestic security measures that this government has taken. It is absolutely right and necessary that we in this country make a prudent and proportionate contribution to help the Iraqi government to keep their people safe, to wrest back control of their territory from the death cult and, in so doing, make a significant contribution to the peace, the tranquillity and the security of the wider world.

I respect, admire, honour and am in awe of the professionalism and the commitment of the Australian armed forces. They are the best of us. The rest of us should do whatever we can to support them and encourage them in their work. I love all my time spent with the Australian defence forces—I really do. I have tried to make it my business to visit their bases as often as I can and to speak with them as often as I can. Obviously I cannot go out and fight with them, but I try at least to sweat with them, which is one of the reasons why I have tried so often to have physical training, at the very least, with the members of our armed forces when I am on their bases. I respect them. I admire them. I salute them. I honour them—and I pledge them the support of this government in all of the dangerous missions upon which they embark. I thank the Minister for Defence. I thank our Defence chiefs. I thank the men and women of our Defence Force who serve our country and keep us safe, so often far from home, particularly as they prepare for this new mission.

See this speech in context