Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

There are now more than 50 million refugees globally. This is the largest number since the end of the World War II. There are now well over four million Syrians registered with the UNHCR. This is a humanitarian crisis of profound proportions.

We must suspend standing orders and deal with this motion urgently, because Australia has the capacity to act. We are the 12th largest economy in the world. We do indeed have boundless plains to share. If there is one country in the world that has the capacity to do much more, it is this country, it is Australia. With the 12th largest economy in the world, it is shameful that last year we recognised and resettled only 14,350 refugees. Last year, the number of refugees we recognised and resettled—those 14,350 refugees—was less than half of one per cent of all of the refugees recognised and resettled globally.

We like to make much of the fact that we are a generous country. It is said often that we are the most generous country when it comes to recognising and resettling refugees. That in fact is untrue. When you look at the number of people that we recognised and resettled last year—less than half of one per cent—that made us 22nd by raw numbers in order of countries recognising and resettling refugees. When you look at this country's effort with refugees on a per capita basis, we are 27th in the world—not first or second. When you look at this country with regard to GDP, we are the 46th country in the world when it comes to the number of refugees we recognise and resettle.

How on earth can we compare 14,350 refugees being recognised and resettled when last year Turkey recognised and resettled 1,027,137 refugees? How can we possibly compare ourselves to Lebanon, which last year recognised and resettled 364,129 refugees? How on earth can we compare ourselves to Afghanistan, which last year recognised and resettled 283,575 refugees? By comparison we recognised and resettled 14,350 refugees. Surely if there is one country that can do more—much more, and I do not mean an extra 5,000 over the next three years; I mean 30,000 this year—then it is our country. And our country will be all the richer for it, because among that 30,000 will be Syrian doctors, tradesmen, engineers, architects, nurses and social workers and any number of people who will undoubtedly add to this country's very rich multiculturalism.

Standing orders must be suspended and we must deal with this matter urgently, because we have contributed to the problem in the Middle East. You cannot disentangle Iraq from Syria or Syria from Iraq. When we helped invade Iraq 12½ years ago, we helped create the instability which racks the region to this day. When we gave diplomatic support to the Syrian rebels, we effectively gave diplomatic support to Islamic State, which was one of the rebel groups. We now find ourselves in this ludicrous situation where we supported the rebels but we are now going to bomb them; we are now going to bomb the enemy of President Assad. The member for Melbourne gestured a little while ago, 'But what are we doing about President Assad?' We are now going to bomb his enemies and basically become a de facto ally of Russia. How dare we criticise the Russians for having a military presence in Syria assisting President Assad when we are going to be bombing President Assad's enemies.

After the 2010 election when I was in negotiations with then Prime Minister Julia Gillard and then opposition leader Tony Abbott, the then opposition leader—

A government member interjecting—

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