Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I'm going to focus on the foreign affairs side of this consideration in detail. It's on a very serious matter: Russia's illegal, abhorrent and appalling invasion of Ukraine. I've got a series of questions that I would like the government to answer. First of all is: why is there no additional funding for humanitarian support for Ukraine in this budget? Senate estimates hearings were told by DFAT that the coalition government, in March last year, was the last government to provide any funding for humanitarian support for Ukraine. Why aren't the government providing that support?

The second question is: why hasn't the government joined the other 60 nations who have reopened an embassy in Kyiv? What is the government waiting for? Sixty nations have opened embassies in Kyiv, and yet we are still waiting for the Australian embassy to open. Why? Let's get real about this.

The third question I'd like answered is: why hasn't the government issued a single sanction against Russia under Australia's Magnitsky cyber sanctions arrangements? We know that Australia joined the UK and US in February last year in publicly attributing cyberattacks against Ukraine to the Russian main intelligence unit. More than 15 months later, DFAT confirmed to estimates hearings last week that the government is still yet to issue a single sanction using the Magnitsky cyber sanctions. What is going on? Why won't you act?

The fourth question that I would like to ask is: does the government think that Australians and Ukrainians deserve to be informed on the Australian government's long-term strategic plan for Australia's support for Ukraine? Why hasn't the government made any commitment on this? Where is your plan to continue to help Ukraine? Does the government understand that there is a major offensive going on at the moment by Ukraine against the Russians and that what the Ukrainians want is some sort of long-term plan and commitment from the Australian government to help and support in that regard? In particular, when will the government announce their military support for Ukraine, or is the government waiting for a photo opportunity at the upcoming NATO summit? Is that what is driving this government when it comes to support for Ukraine? When will we get some answers to these questions?

The United States this week authorised the 40th draw-down for Ukraine, which will deliver US$325 million worth of military assistance. Why aren't we contributing and why aren't we joining forces with the US to provide that military assistance? We know that the Ukrainian community here in Australia want the government to act. They've written to the government and asked them to act, yet they are drawing absolute blanks from the government. And if they are waiting, and waiting needlessly, because there is going to be some sort of photo opportunity at NATO, is beyond the pale, considering what is going on, on the ground, at this very moment. What we want to see from the government is some transparency. Why aren't you providing the humanitarian support? Why aren't you using your cyber Magnitsky sanctions to take on the Russians? Why aren't you opening the embassy in Kyiv? Why aren't you providing and announcing that military assistance for Ukraine at this moment? They are the questions that all Australians want answered, that the Ukrainian communities here in Australia want answered, yet they are drawing complete blanks, and no-one can understand why. The war continues. It is incredibly important for the West, for democracies, that we defeat the Russians on the ground. This illegal and abhorrent invasion needs to be tackled head-on because the message it would send across the world would be that this type of behaviour will never ever be tolerated by the West and that we will fight it to the nth degree.

I am looking forward to the responses from the government to these questions. That is what consideration in detail is all about, and I am looking forward to the minister, who is standing up now, to answer these questions.

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