Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—Thank you, Madam Speaker. I do appreciate what you say. I do believe that the parliament is an appropriate forum to hear statements about committing our troops to a region in conflict. I thank the Prime Minister for his statement to the parliament. Our first thoughts today are with our troops already in Iraq and the Middle East and their families. The ADF mission in a region torn by violence, under threat of attack from an aggressive enemy capturing weapons, supplies and money as it advances, carries a deadly risk.

As the Prime Minister has said, all Australians admire the bravery that such actions demand. I had the privilege of visiting Baghdad and bases in the Middle East, where I personally witnessed the skill, the professionalism and the absolute commitment to task. As the Prime Minister has said, when you are in the presence of our troops on a mission or on a posting, you do realise that these people make you feel proud to be Australian. On behalf of the Labor Party I say to our men and women in uniform: all Australians are proud of you today and every day and we are also proud of your families. I promise them that our nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the people who love you, so, whilst you are away and until you come home, everyone will be doing what they can to ensure that they are looked after. The situation in Iraq, as the government said, is most serious. Daesh totalitarian zealots are beyond redemption. Their followers believe only in violence for the sake of violence. Australia is right to stand against them.

From the outset, Labor's support for Australia's current mission in Iraq has been bipartisan, and our foundation for that is based upon the invitation of the Iraqi government as part of an international coalition with responsibility to protect Iraqi civilians from Daesh. It has been underpinned by four key principles: one, Australian operations to be confined to Iraq; two, that our involvement should continue only until the Iraqi government is ready to take full responsibility for the security of their people and their nation; three, that we do not support the deployment of Australian ground combat units to directly engage in fighting Daesh; and, four, if the Iraqi government and its forces engage in unacceptable conduct, Australia would withdraw its support.

I thank the government for the detailed briefing that we received in the last hour before question time. It appears from the information that was provided to us that the commitment most certainly likely accords with Labor's principles and the scope of activities that we have outlined. There have, of course, been some troubling reports regarding the behaviour of some Iraqi militia groups, and we know that our military, our ADF and our foreign affairs department are of course monitoring this most carefully.

Our mission in Iraq is about building partner capacity and providing training inside the wire to improve the military capacity of conventional Iraqi security forces. This important work includes training Iraqi soldiers on ethical lawful military operations. We welcome the measures being put in place for force protection and we will continue to seek reassurance in this respect. I can appreciate the risk of green on blue in indirect fire. That is something which of course has to be managed and minimised, but it is dangerous work.

I believe our work in Iraq is valuable and important, but we cannot put our faith in draining the swamp of terrorism by military means alone. We need, and to support, a social, political and economic solution. I note some progress has been made by the Iraqi government to achieve a settlement that holds on the ground, including working with the Sunni and Kurd communities to improve their safety. But the sectarian politics in Iraq and the region are extraordinary and deep. There is no doubt in my mind that, as Daesh seeks to spread its horrendous franchise to Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere, we need to work towards a broader approach and a regional solution.

Australia's mission in Iraq is not about pursuing territory or power, but helping the displaced and protecting the vulnerable. We do not seek to assert the supremacy of one faith all one people, but defend the rights of all faiths and all peoples. Labor believes that peace and tolerance can and will prevail over poisonous hatred and fanaticism in Iraq, in the region and of course everywhere. That is our shared hope and our common cause.

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