Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support this matter of public importance. I believe that the measures that the government has adopted today are considered, appropriate and welcome. I regret that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, now leaving, suggested that there were some time issues in relation to this. I simply note that the Syrian war was underway when our colleagues opposite were in government. There may be issues about timeliness in relation to these questions. The judgements of how you should respond are always difficult to make. I say that very deliberately because of the enormity of the crisis that is before us right now.

When I think about my own time in public life, I saw something of the crisis and genocidal regime deposed in Cambodia—and what was left. I witnessed much of the Rwandan genocide. I saw the circumstances in which people fled, particularly from Afghanistan. I had the opportunity with the opposition whip to visit Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey as part of a parliamentary field visit in November of last year. If members wish to better inform themselves about the nature of this crisis, the report is worth reading. The enormity of it is detailed, particularly in the number of people displaced. The issues that need to be addressed to resolve it are detailed and unlikely to be easily addressed.

It is important to understand that this is not an easy issue to deal with but does demand a humanitarian response. We set out a number of approaches that might be taken. I want to say that, as one who looked at those matters, I welcome the government's response today. The additional 12,000 refugee places will not make up for the 14 million people I believe have been so disastrously displaced and affected, but it is a measured response that Australia can make. The additional humanitarian support for the agencies that are working is an important part of a considered response that should be recognised and acknowledged, and I do so.

In relation to the third decision—the expansion of air operations into Syria, which has been given careful consideration by the government following Iraq's request for international assistance—I can say that we will now help. The legal basis has been outlined, and I welcome the opposition's support for it. I simply want to note that there are very substantial reasons why perhaps even more should be done. I note that the government has not dismissed being involved in what further steps might be required. But I also note the UN Secretary-General's report of August 2015, when he had this to say:

Kurdish militias, backed by international anti-ISIL coalition air strikes, launched an offensive on ISIL positions in the south-east of the city, also causing the group to retreat. Its withdrawal prompted many of the estimated 120,000 people who had fled the city following the group’s advances to begin to return to their homes.

I do not argue that air strikes will necessarily resolve it all, but I think there is evidence that it can be part of an important response by the international community to try and restore an opportunity for people to be able to return home in safety. I have said it before and I will say it again: this crisis is not going to be addressed by resettlement programs. The numbers we are talking about are in terms of hundreds of thousands; there have been millions displaced. We need a response that will address the underlying causes, and that is why I welcome the government taking the view that this crisis needed a considered response. I thank the Prime Minister and his colleagues for bringing that forward today, because there is now a way forward.

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