House debates
Wednesday, 16 August 2006
Questions without Notice
Iraq
2:30 pm
Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister update the House on Australia’s strong relationship with Iraq? Is the minister aware of any criticisms of this approach, and what is his response?
Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I will repeat that last point, because I do not think the House heard it.
David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The honourable member for Tangney will repeat that last part.
Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Is the minister aware of any criticisms of this approach? What is his response?
Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Everyone in the world thinks—
Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I thank the honourable member for his question and the interest he has in Iraq. Obviously the Australian government does have a good relationship with the government of Iraq and the people of Iraq, and I think it is important we do so. The Prime Minister has visited Iraq on a number of occasions; the Minister for Defence, Dr Nelson, and his predecessor, Robert Hill, visited Iraq on a number of occasions; and I have as well. This is a very strong relationship, and I know from talking to the Iraqis that they appreciate very much the work we do to help the Iraqi security forces defeat terrorists and insurgents.
As the Leader of the Opposition often likes to point out, this is a very difficult task. We remain committed to the task—to training the security forces and to providing security overwatch from the Tallil air base in the south of Iraq. We also remain committed to protecting our embassy and our embassy staff who are working in Iraq. They are doing a good job. Our embassy staff help with the administration of our aid program to the embattled people of Iraq. Our embassy staff obviously help to promote our commercial interests and advance our political interests, so it is important we keep them going. Indeed, just yesterday I announced the appointment of Marc Innes-Brown, who is an exceptional officer in my department, as the next ambassador to Iraq.
Members will of course be aware of a rocket attack that injured four officers from our security detachment in Baghdad on Monday. One of the corporals—a female corporal; the Minister for Defence will correct me if I am wrong—is still in hospital, but I understand she is in good condition. Our thoughts are with those soldiers, and they are with the diplomats whom they protect. It is tough, but it is vital work.
Yes, this approach is criticised by the Leader of the Opposition and those who work with him. The member for Barton, for example, rather surprisingly was reported in today’s Financial Review and yesterday on the radio as having said that, following Monday’s attack, we should shut down our embassy in Baghdad altogether; we should move it out of Iraq. I would say only this: we will not be doing that. If somebody attacks our embassy, our—I mean the coalition’s, the Howard government’s—instinctive reaction is not to close our embassy and run away. We did not close our embassy in Jakarta when it was bombed. We stuck it out. And we are going to do the same thing in Baghdad as well.
Every time Australian interests are threatened or attacked overseas, the Leader of the Opposition’s response is to haul up the white flag. It is always to call for surrender. He says we should surrender in Iraq to the insurgents and the terrorists. He says surrender is the best policy. And we say: to fight determinedly beside the people of Iraq is the best policy. You cannot see John Howard surrendering, as the Leader of the Opposition likes to. And when there is an attack on some Australian personnel, we do not. And you cannot see John Howard putting out a press release saying, ‘Let’s close our embassy.’ No, we are too strong for that, but for the Leader of the Opposition his constant companion is the white flag.
2:35 pm
Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister recall an interview he gave on ABC radio on 17 March 2003 when he was questioned about the impact of a war in Iraq on the Australian economy? Does the Prime Minister recall warning:
Obviously if it were to go on for a very long time and there were to be a sustained lift in the oil price then that would start to have an effect. But if the conflict is shortlived then I don’t believe the effect is going to be anything like that.
Prime Minister, will you now describe the impact of the prolonged war in Iraq on the world oil price and the Australian economy?
Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Surrender! Surrender!
David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The Minister for Foreign Affairs!
Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
You are a weak man. You are too weak!
David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The Minister for Foreign Affairs is warned!
John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I will naturally, as I always do, check the transcript, but I am quite certain that, in the many interviews I gave at that time, I could well have said something to that effect. But let us analyse the reasons why the price of oil is high now. It is overwhelmingly due to the market fundamentals. It is overwhelmingly due to the strength of the—
Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Dr Emerson interjecting
John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I will come to Iraq in a moment. It is overwhelmingly due to the massive demand that is coming out of China and, to a lesser extent, India, to the underinvestment in refining capacity and to some of the impact of the situation in the Middle East. If you are looking at Iraq and you want to improve the supply of oil by bringing more oil from Iraq on stream, what you do is defeat the insurgency, not cut and run.
Kim Wilkie (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Wilkie interjecting
John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
What is happening at the moment is that the Iraqi government is waging a courageous battle against people who almost on a daily basis are trying to sabotage the oil extraction in Iraq, and the Leader of the Opposition wants to surrender to that insurgency. He wants to create a situation where those who would cripple the capacity of Iraq to be a further major contributor to the world’s oil supply succeed. So, far from what we are now doing, the Leader of the Opposition’s policy of capitulation and surrender would reinforce the position of those who would destroy Iraq’s capacity to stand on her own feet and contribute to an increase in world oil supplies and, therefore, a reduction in the price of petrol at the bowser in Australia.
Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Price interjecting
David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The Chief Opposition Whip is warned!