Andrew Southcott (Boothby, 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 contribution to allied efforts to assist the elected government to bring security and stability to Iraq? Is he aware of any criticisms of this approach?

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First of all, I thank the honourable member for Boothby. I know that he is a stalwart supporter of freedom around the world, including in Iraq.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is, Mr Speaker; he is. Yes, I am pleased to announce that yesterday we formally took over the overwatch role in a second province of Iraq, Dhi Qar province. Security responsibility for Dhi Qar was transferred to Iraq last month, and this is the second province where security has been transferred to the Iraqis. In the other, Al Muthanna, Australian troops have performed a stalwart role. Our overwatch role in Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna means that we will provide support to the Iraqi security forces in a crisis, if requested by the Iraqi government and/or coalition forces.

Of course, in addition to that, we are training Iraqis and transferring responsibility for security to the trained Iraqis, and the Australian Defence Force is doing an excellent job in achieving these things. There has been a lot of criticism from the opposition of the government’s policy—criticism, I must say, which is somewhat surprising, but nevertheless there has been criticism.

From the time the opposition leader launched some parliamentary attack on the government over this issue, though, I must say I have—and I think the community has—become increasingly bewildered as to the Labor Party’s position on Iraq. There have been three quite distinct positions that the Leader of the Opposition has taken on this issue in 10 days. First of all, he said that all troops should immediately leave Iraq. Then he did not feel very comfortable with that position so he moved on to a new position, which was that Australian troops should immediately leave Iraq, and the heavy lifting and the dangerous work should remain with the British and the Americans and other coalition forces who were in Iraq, but that Australia would just get out.

His third position was that maybe not all Australian troops should be withdrawn from Iraq immediately—maybe we should leave some people there; maybe we should leave some troops behind. In fact if you add up the numbers, something like 900 of the 1,400 would be left behind under position No. 3 from the opposition. The Leader of the Opposition cannot carry an argument from dawn till dusk without changing his position. Today the Leader of the Opposition in a radio interview when talking about his ‘all out of Iraq’ or ‘some out of Iraq’ or ‘some Australians out of Iraq but not all Australians out of Iraq’ position—or whatever his position is—said, ‘We are not going to go out in a way that inconveniences allies.’ So now we are going to say to the Americans and the British, and presumably the Iraqis, ‘Excuse me, but would it inconvenience you if we left?’ And they will say, ‘Yes, it would be a little inconvenient. It would be a little inconvenient to see a great nation like Australia cut and run. Would you mind staying?’ Presumably the Leader of the Opposition’s position No. 4 is, ‘Well, since it’s inconvenient, maybe we won’t do it.’ If you want to be the Prime Minister of Australia, you have to have a clear-cut position on big issues.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Gillard interjecting

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

Order! The member for Lalor is warned.

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition professes to be some kind of strategic genius. He is always running around saying, ‘I know all about the civil war and General McClelland.’ He is his great hero from the civil war. He says that he knows all about the First World War, the Battle of the Somme, Fromelle, the Second World War and Tobruk. He knows all about this sort of thing; or so he claims in any case. But what we know about the Leader of the Opposition is that he cannot carry a serious argument, and cannot carry an argument with conviction and passion, from dawn till dusk. He certainly has not been able to on the issue of Iraq.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right will come to order.