Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The anniversary of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine was a sad realisation that many had made in recent times: it's difficult to believe this war began just over a year ago. For some of us, this realisation occurred upon the visit by Ukraine's ambassador to Australia to this building just a few weeks ago. It certainly would not feel like yesterday to him. It certainly doesn't feel like yesterday to the thousands of brave men and women fighting against the Russian troops across their home soil. It certainly does not feel like just yesterday to the thousands of Ukrainian Australians, many with family who have come under harm's way or have, like millions of Ukrainians, become displaced by this senseless war of aggression.

The day was spent in many ways across this country, from a vigil held on the steps of Parliament House in my home state of South Australia to protests in front of the Russian Embassy right here in Canberra. Some may say that Russia would take little notice of such things, but we cannot sit idly by and let the world see, or let Russia see, that day pass without any reaction on our part. We must maintain this vigil with our words and with our actions until peace is restored again to the region. Without such vigilance, we play right into the hands of Vladimir Putin. I am sure he is banking on the West to have a short attention span or an empathy deficit due to the conflict being far enough away to be merely a spectator sport. We cannot allow this to happen. This is why we stand up in places like this, the parliament of our nation, in order to amplify and deliver messages such as this.

I thank my South Australian colleague the member for Adelaide for moving this motion today. It gives me the opportunity to speak out in support of Ukraine, in support of our local Ukrainian diaspora and in support of scores of Russian Australians out there who are equally as horrified by the actions of Putin and of the Russian government. It gives me the opportunity to speak in support of the hopes of all of us for the restoration of peace and the return of Ukraine's sovereign territory so they can take care of their wounded and rebuild the many shattered cities and critical infrastructure across ever-changing front lines over the course of this conflict.

The admonishment of Vladimir Putin and Russia's government is not admonishment of Russia's people. After all, we're not all tarred and feathered by the actions of our governments, whether those actions are policy failures or, in this case, vaulting well over the bar of what we would define as an atrocity and an affront to peace and decency.

In Australia we can all speak up and speak out on the decisions made by our governments and elected officials. But, as we know, this is not the case everywhere in the world. It is certainly not the case in Russia. Speaking out against Putin, the Kremlin or other senior government officials often puts one in as much peril as the soldiers on the front line. Many have attempted to escape, but Putin has made it difficult to evade his wrath. Though, for many deaths, what exactly happened remains inconclusive—or who was ultimately responsible—it is a common theme that speaking out against Putin is a very dangerous endeavour.

Australia's place in the world is that of a peacekeeper. We were a founding member of the United Nations after its establishment at the conclusion of World War II. We, along with 50 other nations, ratified the Charter of the United Nations. We were the first president of the United Nations Security Council, all the way back in 1946, back in the days when the West and the East joined together to stamp out evil and to stamp out the hubris of petty despots and tyrants. But, though peacekeepers we may be, we play our part well and in lock step with the rest of the free world in this ever-changing global paradigm. Dr Geoff Raby put it quite well in Australian Foreign Affairs issue16, published late last year:

… upon the election of our Government … you would expect many countries to have received a visit before venturing into Eastern Europe … it doesn't signify a lack of importance that we place in the region.

But the fact that our Prime Minister chose to visit Ukraine within months of taking office shows a shift in our view and in the world's view—for, if we divert our gaze for a moment, we run the risk of atrocities going unchecked and a proud people suffering further. I stand with the Ukrainian people. We cannot give up or halt our efforts until peace exists. Slava Ukraini.

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