Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question to the Prime Minister follows his answer to my previous question, in which he said that he regretted the decision of the Italian government to withdraw its troops. I refer to the Prime Minister’s statement on 21 May 2006 about the implications of Italy’s decision to withdraw its troops from Iraq, when he said:

There are no strategic-logistic implications that I’m aware of, no.

Prime Minister, if the withdrawal of 3,200 Italian troops, the fourth largest contribution to the multinational force, did not pose any strategic or logistic implications earlier this year, can you outline why this would not also be the case if Australia withdrew its few hundred troops from Iraq?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will do that. The truth is that the—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will be heard. I call the Prime Minister.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Australia was an original participant in the military operation against Iraq, it stands to reason that the implications of our withdrawal would be enormous, and I repeat my position that if it is all right for Australia to withdraw why isn’t it all right for the Americans and the British to do the same?

What the Leader of the Opposition has to explain to the Australian people is a policy that would deliver a monumental victory to the terrorists in Iraq and would embolden the terrorists in Indonesia. They would go the length of the Indonesian archipelago saying: ‘We defeated the coalition, including Australia, in Iraq. That is a reason to sign up to Jemaah Islamiah.’ That is the burden that the Leader of the Opposition will carry. The Leader of the Opposition has to explain to the Australian people why it would be safer to deliver a monumental propaganda victory to the terrorists by our withdrawing from Iraq. That is the essence of this issue. The Leader of the Opposition has to justify a policy that would give an enormous boost to the terrorists in Indonesia—an enormous boost to the terrorists everywhere around the world. That is what the Leader of the Opposition—

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Plibersek interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Sydney is warned!

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition ought to focus his mind on justifying a policy that would heighten the terrorist threat in our own region. I have heard a lot from the Leader of the Opposition about how we have to focus on terrorism in our own region. I am focused on that and I know this: if you deliver a victory in Iraq you will deliver an enormous propaganda boost to terrorists in our own region and not least in Indonesia.