Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question again is to the Prime Minister and it goes to Iraq. Given that the Prime Minister has spent more than $2 billion of Australian taxpayers’ money on a war in Iraq which, four years later, has become Australia’s greatest foreign policy disaster since Vietnam, what makes the Prime Minister think he is entitled to publicly lecture anybody on future directions in Iraq policy?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! That question is close to asking for an opinion, but I will call the Prime Minister.

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

There is a certain touch of irony when the word ‘lecture’ passes the lips of the Leader of the Opposition, but I will leave that aside. I guess one of the reasons why I am entitled to speak on this subject is that, when we went to the election in 2004, amongst the policies that we espoused then was the commitment we had made to Iraq. It is a matter of regret to me that the military operations and the security situation in Iraq have been as difficult as they have been over the past three years. I do not hide my disappointment about that, but what we must do—what the Leader of the Opposition must do and what I must do—is speak responsibly now about the consequences—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I am very happy to talk also in this answer about what the Leader of the Opposition said at the time of the operation in Iraq. I remind him of his speech to the State Zionist Council of Victoria, when he said that it was a matter of empirical fact that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Kim Wilkie (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because you told us, you idiot!

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

The member for Swan is warned.

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

The truth is that both the current Leader of the Opposition and the immediately preceding Leader of the Opposition were both hedging their bets three years ago. If things had gone better, they would have been saying behind their hands that the silly old leader then should not have been so strident in his opposition. What we have to do is to address the consequences of the position we take on the situation today.

My charge against the Leader of the Opposition is that his policy would be to let down our greatest ally in her hour of greatest need over Iraq. That is my criticism of the Leader of the Opposition. Self-evidently, if Australia were to withdraw her forces in Iraq—forces that have made an extremely valuable contribution, given the size of this country, to this military operation—that would not only be a material subtraction from the coalition effort in Iraq; it would also, in psychological terms, do enormous damage to the United States position. I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that I have every right as the Prime Minister of this country to speak to the security interests of Australia. I have every right to condemn policies that would damage the security position of this country. I have every right to warn of the consequences of an American defeat in the Middle East. I have every right to warn of the boost that that would give to terrorism not only in Iraq but also in our part of the world.

The truth is that America is going through a difficult time in Iraq and there are many who will condemn the original decision. I accept my responsibility for that original decision but I say to the Leader of the Opposition and to the Australian people that if America is defeated in Iraq the consequences for the West will be catastrophic. Anybody who thinks otherwise has no understanding of international power relations. They are the considerations that give me every right to speak to what I believe to be the national interest of my country.