Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Further to my two previous questions to the Prime Minister, why is the Prime Minister the only world leader who refuses to accept that current coalition policy in Iraq is not working?

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

It is a bit rich for somebody who is in favour of it not working asking such a question. I have indicated on numerous occasions that I wish the operations were going differently. I have said repeatedly that there is a case for reworking some of the tactics. But the fundamental position of the government is starkly different. What the opposition wants is a course of action in Iraq which would produce the very bloodbath and descent into further disaster to which the Baker commission drew attention. What the Leader of the Opposition must face—

Graham Edwards (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary (Defence and Veterans' Affairs)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Edwards interjecting

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

Order! The Prime Minister will resume his seat. I have warned the member for Cowan. He continues to interject. He will remove himself from the House under standing order 94(a).

The member for Cowan then left the chamber.

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

In the past few days the Leader of the Opposition has been talking a great deal about the need to articulate policies, the need to be positive, the need not to nitpick or to engage in a thing that he has loosely called the blame game. Let me say to the Leader of the Opposition that what he is required to do is to accept the inevitable consequences of the policy that he is advocating in relation to Iraq. The inevitable consequence of that policy was lucidly set out by James Baker and Lee Hamilton in their report, and it is all negative so far as the Leader of the Opposition is concerned.