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

by leave—Madam Speaker, the last thing I would want is to have the opposition feel that they were deprived of a full statement by the government on this subject and deprived of an opportunity to respond. That is the last thing I would want. So, if it would suit the opposition, because of the gravity of any decision—even a decision to prepare, not a decision to deploy—I will gladly make a brief statement to the House, to which the Leader of the Opposition will obviously have an opportunity to respond.

But, before making this statement, I should point out that I did first raise the subject of a possible build partner capacity mission to Iraq with the Leader of the Opposition in a phone call to him in January, when this invitation was first extended to us by the Prime Minister of Iraq. I have indicated subsequently to the Leader of the Opposition that it was likely that this mission would eventuate. I have indicated to the Leader of the Opposition that it was likely that New Zealand would be our partner. The Leader of the Opposition was briefed by my office on the details at about one o'clock today, as I was making the announcement with the Chief of the Defence Force and the Minister for Defence.

So, at all times, we have tried to keep the opposition in our confidence, because one thing that I have been grateful for in recent times has been the broad bipartisanship that the opposition has extended to the government on matters of national security. There are many things that we disagree on, but I am pleased that, broadly speaking, we do agree on matters of national security. And I am pleased that the Leader of the Opposition does share my concerns about the rise of the Daesh, or ISIL, death cult, because this is a threat not just to the people of Iraq, not just to the people of Syria, but indeed to the people of this country, who have already been the victims of two terrorist attacks inspired by Daesh here in this country.

I can advise the House that the government has decided to commence the preparation—I stress 'the preparation'—of a military force to contribute to the build partner capacity training mission in Iraq that has been publicly flagged by the government in recent days. This action follows requests from the Iraqi and the United States governments, and the government anticipates that it will be in a position to make a final decision to commit this force in a matter of weeks.

This decision to prepare, prior to a subsequent decision to commit, marks the next phase of Australia's contribution to the international coalition to disrupt, degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL, or Daesh. Already our FA18 Super Hornet strike fighters have completed at least 167 missions. Our air-to-air refuelling aircraft have conducted 156 missions, and our early warning aircraft have conducted 71 command and control missions. Our Special Operations Task Group has been training members of Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service and boosting its effectiveness against priority Daesh targets.

I spoke to Prime Minister al-Abadi last week and when I visited Iraq in January. He did request our contribution to a build partner capacity mission. He requested that we lead a build partner capacity mission—one of four build partner capacity missions in Iraq. When I spoke to him last week, he expressed Iraq's continuing gratitude for Australia's assistance and, in particular, his gratitude for this anticipated next phase of our assistance.

Having stemmed the death cult's initial advance, the Iraqi security forces now require additional support to build their capacity to reclaim and hold territory. While the final numbers are still to be finalised, the potential build partner capacity force would include about 300 Australian Defence Force personnel. The force would comprise a training team with command, force protection and support elements. It would be based at Taji, north-west of Baghdad. I do stress again, as I have already stressed in this parliament and outside it, that this is a training mission not a combat mission. Following discussions with Prime Minister Key in Auckland last weekend, I can confirm that this potential Australian build partner capacity force would work closely with personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force.

Australia is part of a large international coalition. There are some 60 countries, including many Arab countries, that are working together to degrade and ultimately defeat the Daesh death cult. Our principal partners include the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, which are already working to train the Iraqi security forces. I stress, as I always do, that, when it comes to the commitment even the potential commitment of the armed forces of this Commonwealth, the decision is never taken lightly. This decision is a decision in Australia's national interests. Yes, it is ultimately Iraq that must defeat the death cult, but Iraq cannot do it alone—and it should not be left alone to confront the death cult on its own.

While we are always reluctant to reach out to faraway conflicts, this conflict is reaching out to us. Terrorist violence inspired by this conflict has already hit out at us. There are, as we know, about 100 Australians fighting with Daesh and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, and there are about 150 here at home supporting these extremists with recruiting and financing. This fight, far from our shores, is a matter of domestic security as well as a matter of international security. It is a necessary complement to the strong domestic security measures that this government has taken. It is absolutely right and necessary that we in this country make a prudent and proportionate contribution to help the Iraqi government to keep their people safe, to wrest back control of their territory from the death cult and, in so doing, make a significant contribution to the peace, the tranquillity and the security of the wider world.

I respect, admire, honour and am in awe of the professionalism and the commitment of the Australian armed forces. They are the best of us. The rest of us should do whatever we can to support them and encourage them in their work. I love all my time spent with the Australian defence forces—I really do. I have tried to make it my business to visit their bases as often as I can and to speak with them as often as I can. Obviously I cannot go out and fight with them, but I try at least to sweat with them, which is one of the reasons why I have tried so often to have physical training, at the very least, with the members of our armed forces when I am on their bases. I respect them. I admire them. I salute them. I honour them—and I pledge them the support of this government in all of the dangerous missions upon which they embark. I thank the Minister for Defence. I thank our Defence chiefs. I thank the men and women of our Defence Force who serve our country and keep us safe, so often far from home, particularly as they prepare for this new mission.

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

I will take that as being a statement made by leave. I will grant leave to the Leader of the Opposition to similarly make a statement in reply.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—Thank you, Madam Speaker. I do appreciate what you say. I do believe that the parliament is an appropriate forum to hear statements about committing our troops to a region in conflict. I thank the Prime Minister for his statement to the parliament. Our first thoughts today are with our troops already in Iraq and the Middle East and their families. The ADF mission in a region torn by violence, under threat of attack from an aggressive enemy capturing weapons, supplies and money as it advances, carries a deadly risk.

As the Prime Minister has said, all Australians admire the bravery that such actions demand. I had the privilege of visiting Baghdad and bases in the Middle East, where I personally witnessed the skill, the professionalism and the absolute commitment to task. As the Prime Minister has said, when you are in the presence of our troops on a mission or on a posting, you do realise that these people make you feel proud to be Australian. On behalf of the Labor Party I say to our men and women in uniform: all Australians are proud of you today and every day and we are also proud of your families. I promise them that our nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the people who love you, so, whilst you are away and until you come home, everyone will be doing what they can to ensure that they are looked after. The situation in Iraq, as the government said, is most serious. Daesh totalitarian zealots are beyond redemption. Their followers believe only in violence for the sake of violence. Australia is right to stand against them.

From the outset, Labor's support for Australia's current mission in Iraq has been bipartisan, and our foundation for that is based upon the invitation of the Iraqi government as part of an international coalition with responsibility to protect Iraqi civilians from Daesh. It has been underpinned by four key principles: one, Australian operations to be confined to Iraq; two, that our involvement should continue only until the Iraqi government is ready to take full responsibility for the security of their people and their nation; three, that we do not support the deployment of Australian ground combat units to directly engage in fighting Daesh; and, four, if the Iraqi government and its forces engage in unacceptable conduct, Australia would withdraw its support.

I thank the government for the detailed briefing that we received in the last hour before question time. It appears from the information that was provided to us that the commitment most certainly likely accords with Labor's principles and the scope of activities that we have outlined. There have, of course, been some troubling reports regarding the behaviour of some Iraqi militia groups, and we know that our military, our ADF and our foreign affairs department are of course monitoring this most carefully.

Our mission in Iraq is about building partner capacity and providing training inside the wire to improve the military capacity of conventional Iraqi security forces. This important work includes training Iraqi soldiers on ethical lawful military operations. We welcome the measures being put in place for force protection and we will continue to seek reassurance in this respect. I can appreciate the risk of green on blue in indirect fire. That is something which of course has to be managed and minimised, but it is dangerous work.

I believe our work in Iraq is valuable and important, but we cannot put our faith in draining the swamp of terrorism by military means alone. We need, and to support, a social, political and economic solution. I note some progress has been made by the Iraqi government to achieve a settlement that holds on the ground, including working with the Sunni and Kurd communities to improve their safety. But the sectarian politics in Iraq and the region are extraordinary and deep. There is no doubt in my mind that, as Daesh seeks to spread its horrendous franchise to Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere, we need to work towards a broader approach and a regional solution.

Australia's mission in Iraq is not about pursuing territory or power, but helping the displaced and protecting the vulnerable. We do not seek to assert the supremacy of one faith all one people, but defend the rights of all faiths and all peoples. Labor believes that peace and tolerance can and will prevail over poisonous hatred and fanaticism in Iraq, in the region and of course everywhere. That is our shared hope and our common cause.