Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. What further action is the government taking to support international efforts against the Daesh death cult?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no weightier decision a government can take than to deploy our armed forces abroad, and we never make these decisions lightly. As members well know, while we here in Australia are reluctant as a peaceful people to reach out to conflicts abroad, the conflict in Syria and Iraq is reaching out to us and it has been reaching out to us for many months. About 100 Australians are fighting with the Daesh, or ISIL, death cult in Syria and Iraq and about 150 Australians here are supporting the death cult with recruiting and fundraising. Two terrorist attacks in this country already—the attack on policemen in Victoria and the Martin Place siege—have been inspired by this death cult, which is now promulgating a new dark age in large areas of Syria and Iraq.

Since September last year, Australia has been playing its part in the international coalition to disrupt, degrade and, ultimately, destroy the death cult. Our Super Hornet strike fighters, our airborne early warning and control aircraft and our refuelling aircraft have been flying many effective sorties in the skies above Iraq. We have also had 170 of our special forces on an advise and assist mission with the Iraqi special forces. I can advise the House that thanks to the good work of the international coalition and the good work of the Iraqi armed forces, the advance of the death cult has, for now, been arrested. But the challenge is for the Iraqi regular forces to gain and hold ground. It is to reconquer their country. We cannot do it for them, but we can assist them to do it themselves. That is what we are now proposing to do. We are preparing a Building Partner Capacity mission to go to Iraq. It will involve some 300 Australian defence personnel, some 100 New Zealand personnel—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The deployment of Australians overseas, of all issues, has always been reserved for ministerial statements. This issue was raised—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The member will resume his seat.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to stress that this is a training mission; it is not a combat mission. It is inside the wire; it is not outside the wire. But it is vital for our national security. It is absolutely vital for our national security because, as I said at the beginning, this Daesh death cult is reaching out to this country—

Mr Champion interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

as well as to the people of Iraq and Syria. The protection of Australia requires work abroad as well as at home, and this government will never shirk the tasks that are necessary to keep the Australian people safe.