Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Adelaide for moving this motion. It's a motion that I support, along with all of my parliamentary colleagues. There has not been one dissenting voice in this Chamber, and that's a good thing for Ukraine, for Australia and for democracy.

Just over a year ago, Russia unlawfully invaded Ukraine. The decision was illegal. It was immoral. It is the invasion of another democratic state. It is, in this case, absolutely illegal, immoral and unethical. It is an assault on democracy. It's an assault on decency, brought by a man who—and I don't use this term lightly—I believe to be evil. It's right that we continue to call out Vladimir Putin for his war crimes, his hate and aggression, and I'm glad to see that a bipartisan international effort on the part of the west is supporting the Ukrainian people.

When I was Speaker in the last parliament, it was one of my proudest days when President Zelenskyy was given the honour of addressing a joint parliamentary sitting. It's something that I believe that Australia should press for, to show the world and the people of Ukraine that Australia stands with Ukraine. I want to send a shout-out to the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia. He has done an absolutely sensational job in defending the rights of his countrymen and countrywomen. Vasyl Myroshnychenko is a remarkable human being, and he really deserves all the praise that we can give him.

I'm very pleased see that the Labor government has continued to provide, as a nation, the same sort of assistance to the people of Ukraine that we provided when we were in power. Currently, 70 ADF personnel are training Ukrainian armed forces in England as part of Operation Interflex. We've provided $655 million in direct support, including $475 million in military aid. Australia is the largest non-NATO-member provider of support to Ukraine, and that's something that Australians should be very proud of.

Australia has sanctioned some 1,000 Russian oligarchs, defence members and politicians, and I'm very proud to say that every single one of the members and senators who sit in the House of Representatives and the Senate has had the same so-called honour bestowed upon them. We have been sanctioned by the Russian government, and I'm very proud to be sanctioned by the Russian government.

We've provided 90 Bushmasters, and I'm proud to say a local company in my electorate, Eniquest, provides the generators for those Bushmaster vehicles. At the same time, we continue to raise international pressure on Russia to do the right thing, with a coalition of 140 United Nations member states calling for a just peace.

I want to also send a shout-out to a local business. Whilst it is not in my electorate, it's on the Sunshine Coast. It is the efforts of this local business which have heartened me most, and I know that they've been of encouragement to the Ukrainian-Australian population as well. From church services and vigils, protests and flash mobs to school projects and street art, Australians have shown solidarity with the people of Ukraine and with international democratic values. Just last week, an organisation called Sunshine & Sons donated money from the sale of their gin to the war effort and the people of Ukraine. It's a good cause, and we stand with the people of Ukraine. Slava Ukraine!

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