John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was with a heavy heart that I read further reports this morning which only served to cast an overbearing shadow over hopes for immediate peace in Lebanon. More distressingly, there does not appear to be an end in sight to the appalling loss of innocent lives, which is concomitant with any war. To date, more than 960 Lebanese civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed; thousands have been injured; hundreds remain trapped under the weight of their own homes; and 900,000 civilians have been displaced. These are innocent lives that did not seek or deserve the punishment that has visited them.

I was dismayed to read a recent report in an Australian newspaper which suggested that civilian targets are a part of modern warfare and that we should somehow accept this reality and accept the notion of collateral damage. While it may be understandable, though not forgivable, for these comments to be made by armchair commentators from the comfort of their homes, there are many others who would understandably disagree. Perhaps these commentators could come and explain the concept to the thousands and thousands of proud Australians with Lebanese heritage who reside in my electorate of Lowe. Father Emmanuel Sakr, of St Joseph’s Maronite Church in Croydon, is one such person. Father Emmanuel’s parents are trapped in the Lebanese village of Debl. They are living without electricity or food. Father Pierre El-Khoury, also of St Joseph’s parish, has found himself stranded in Lebanon. Councillor John Faker, Mayor of Burwood, is waiting for his brother Chemel to return to Australia. We cannot be dismissive of their plight.

The lessons of history have taught us well that an emphasis on military might, rather than on dogmatic diplomacy, can only generate an equal and opposite reaction. I would hope that the war in Lebanon has done nothing to endear the main protagonists to the majority of the civilians they purport to represent. Unfortunately, as each week passes, we are still only seeing actions which serve to compound the disaster. The Prime Minister was right to suggest that we should be addressing the root causes of this disaster. However, before doing so, he must make louder international calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities by both parties, call for a peacekeeping force and provide greater humanitarian and infrastructure assistance to Lebanon—a country which we should remember has relatively recently pulled itself out of the despair created by a civil war which was not entirely of its own creating. Only then can the world make serious attempts to address the underlying tensions the Prime Minister speaks of without resorting to religious and ideological corners. Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, who want nothing more than to live within secure borders without the constant threat of missile attacks, deserve nothing less from the international community—Australia included.