Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have received a letter from the honourable the Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:

The humanitarian crisis in Syria.

I call upon those members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

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

Today the crisis unfolding in Syria presents us with a new and important decision, a decision that Labor never takes lightly. The Middle East has long been a complex and volatile region fractured by ancient fault lines. Now it is menaced by the new and emerging threat of Daesh. Australia's mission in Iraq has had Labor's consistent bipartisan support, and, until today, both Labor and the government had the view that the Australian Defence Force should confine its operations to Iraqi territory. But in recent times it has become apparent to our allies and partners in this international effort that protecting the people of Iraq requires the option of operating in Syrian airspace.

We have received clear advice that Iraq has the right to defend itself against cross border attacks, given that the Syrian government is unable or unwilling to prevent such attacks by Daesh. Iraq also has the right to request help from other nations, under the United Nations principle of collective self-defence, and has done so. So today I reaffirm Labor's bipartisan support for Operation OKRA and our brave and professional personnel who are serving in a very dangerous place. We believe Australia has a role to play in helping the government of Iraq to protect the people of Iraq. Our support will extend to the operations in Syrian airspace, subject to the assurances that I mentioned earlier, before question time, and will detail further here.

ADF operations in Syria must be constrained by the proposed legal basis of the collective self-defence of Iraq. We have called on the government to confirm that any Australian use of force will be of a level necessary to halt and prevent the cross border attacks on Iraq or to defend Australian personnel. Our use of force must always be proportionate to those threats and subject to international law. Today we ask the government to provide the parliament with the assurance that an effective combat search and rescue capability will be put in place to meet and mitigate the risks for any RAAF member brought down in hostile territory. We believe that this assurance should be given before any ADF operations in Syrian airspace.

Fulfilling our duties as good international citizens demands respect for the United Nations. That is why we asked the government to formally notify the United Nations Security Council of Australia's decision, including our assessment of the legal basis for action. Australia should advocate strongly for the United Nations to renew and redouble their efforts in crafting a long-term multilateral strategy to resolve the Syrian conflict.

Fulfilling our responsibility to the Australian people and their parliament requires a detailed and considered explanation of our objectives in Iraq. So I ask the Prime Minister to commit to a parliamentary debate where he can outline the government's long-term strategy regarding Australia's changing role in the defence of Iraq.

I also want to acknowledge that our nation is not necessarily of one mind about the extension of the mission. There are legitimate demands to understand the exit strategy—to ask: 'What does success look like?' and, 'What kind of peace are we seeking to build?'

There are also some who are concerned that this decision will improve the ability of Daesh to recruit more members to their cause. And, because the Assad regime—the Assad dictatorship—in Syria has an abominable record, others are concerned that it could be an indirect beneficiary of this action, which would be a terrible outcome. These are all legitimate questions.

I also make some fundamental points in response. This is not the second Gulf War, and we are not in Iraq seeking regime change; nor does the extension of RAAF air missions seek regime change in Syria. Our actions have always been at the request of the Iraqi government. They and our allies and international partners have requested that we extend our operations to Syrian airspace to deal with cross border attacks. Further, and above all, the quality of peace that we pursue has to be superior to that which would prevail if our military action was not undertaken. I and Labor believe that the actions of the ADF in Iraq are contributing to that good. The further incursion into the cauldron of Syria must also support the prospects of peace in Iraq. The issue of proportionality and precision of military force is fundamentally important. The greatest gift we could donate to Daesh would be indiscriminate action.

The battle against Daesh is an asymmetric conflict. Our opponent knows that they cannot beat us by force of arms. Rather, they rely upon drawing us into the morass of conflict. Daesh know that they can only defeat us in our great liberal democracy—like many comparable Western liberal democracies—by damaging our moral authority. Daesh have no moral authority. They have nothing to lose, because they have nothing to start with. But Australia and indeed the West do have moral authority. The conditions under which we commit the tactical, strategic and moral reasons must present our moral authority.

To justify this extension on the basis of alliance management alone is simply not enough. It must be the practical effect, not mere symbolism, that we are contributing to a superior peace in Iraq, that motivates us. Australia must also devote the same energy and effort to improving governance and assisting reconciliation amongst the Iraqi people, because the long-term stability of Iraq depends most upon the people of Iraq.

Any escalation of Australia's military engagement in the Middle East must be matched by a new and substantial commitment to addressing the escalating humanitarian crisis in the region and in Syria in particular. We are very pleased that the Prime Minister has offered, on behalf of his government, 12,000 humanitarian places above and beyond the 13,750 which were scheduled for this year—and I thank him for that. But I do call upon the Prime Minister to confirm once and for all that these additional places will be offered this financial year. As I said earlier, it is important that these places are offered on the basis of need, without discrimination nor qualification. It is not for us, it is not for this parliament, to weigh one human soul against another. No-one can do that. Our duty as a compassionate, decent nation is to help those most in need regardless of who they pray to.

At the heart of our response to the crisis in Syria is the recognition that the world Australia belongs to, the world of prosperous, peaceful and stable democracies, has failed the people of Syria. It is time for us to play an engaged and constructive role in addressing this. The Australian government should use all available diplomatic and political means to support a cooperative international multilateral solution to this current crisis. This means access to humanitarian assistance in Syria. This means meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of the region. It means supporting an inclusive political process which can resolve the conflict in Syria.

We cannot hope to drain the swamp of terrorism by military means alone. There will be concern in the Australian community that using our ADF to bomb ISIL will further exacerbate the problems and conflict in that region. Australians, regardless of what they think about the extension of the ADF mission, recognise that we no longer live in an era of a repercussion-free environment. I personally believe that ISIL would target Australia regardless of what we did. I personally believe that our overdue response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria is welcomed and timely. But I also say that the decision which Labor makes is guided by the priorities and principles which I have outlined. They are the priorities and principles which guide our party more generally—that is, to work for the betterment of humanity, not just at home but wherever we can lend a helping hand.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The scale of the dislocation of people in Syria and northern Iraq and the unfolding crisis in the Mediterranean is deeply troubling. The world has been shocked by the sheer numbers of people fleeing from the conflict in Syria and Iraq. Ensuring that refugees can access humanitarian assistance and protection in their own country or in the region would of course reduce the need for refugees to make dangerous journeys elsewhere or be exploited by people smugglers.

The cause of the exodus is the conflict in Syria and in Iraq, and the choice facing many communities is stark. In Syria it is the brutality of the Assad regime or the Islamic extremists, and Daesh has been the most egregious in its persecution of minorities in Syria. These terrorist activities continue to pose a grave threat to regional security, including the safety of civilian populations. To solve the humanitarian disasters we must focus on the cause. So defeating the terrorist organisation Daesh requires both military and political action. We will continue to advocate a political solution that can bring an end to the conflict in Syria, for we must deal with the case of this humanitarian crisis and not just the consequences.

The Australian government announced today that Australia's military air operations against Daesh in Iraq will be extended to target Daesh spaces and supply lines in Syria. Under article 51 of the UN charter and the legal principle of collective self-defence of Iraq, we will take action. This decision follows Iraq's request for international assistance to strike at Daesh strongholds and it follows a formal request from the United States, the leader of the coalition of countries supporting the Iraqi government's efforts to defeat terrorism and protect its people. Australia joins other nations—the United States, Canada, Turkey, the UAE and others—already conducting airstrikes against Daesh strongholds in Syria.

These efforts to combat Daesh are supported by our humanitarian assistance in Syria and in Iraq in particular but also in neighbouring countries of the region, many of which are carrying the burden of refugees and displaced people. All parties to the conflict in Syria must provide safe an unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need in that war-torn country. I commend the generosity of neighbouring countries, in particular Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, for their role in providing protection for Syrian refugees.

Australia has for many years operated the most generous, on a per capita basis, UNHCR referred refugee resettlement program in the world. Australia consistently ranks in the top three resettlement countries, along with the United States and Canada—collectively providing over 80 per cent of global UNHCR resettlement places. Last financial year Australia settled more than 4,400 people from Syria and Iraq, accounting for 30 per cent of the 13,750 places under the humanitarian program. This number will increase to 18,750 places by 2018-19.

Over the last few days, after consulting with the UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration and others and the report from immigration minister Peter Dutton, the government has announced today that we will offer permanent resettlement places to 12,000 UNHCR registered refugees. These people will be resettled in Australia as soon as possible. Priority will be given to those most in need, and we know these are women, children and families, and those among the persecuted minorities, who have sought refuge in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, in particular.

Religious minorities in Syria are targeted by rebel groups for perceived loyalty to the Assad regime. The terrorist groups in turn attack there religious communities. The choice, as one Lebanese Christian community leader living on the border with Syria said, is between the bitter and the more bitter.

In Syria and Iraq, the terrorist organisation Daesh has told Christians they must convert, pay 'jizya'—the tax on non-Muslims—or be killed. Many of Iraq's Christians were living in the north, much of which is now controlled by Daesh. Other minority groups, including the Yazidis, have been subject to extreme attacks by Daesh—so the ethnic and religious minorities and the most vulnerable. They have no safe place to which they can return.

Today we have also announced that Australia will provide additional humanitarian assistance to directly support more than 240,000 Syrian and Iraqi people who have been forced to flee their homes or seek refuge in neighbouring countries. This additional $44 million in assistance will help families prepare for the upcoming winter through the provision of shelter kits, winter clothes and food. It will provide people with life-saving food, safe drinking water and cash; and there will be special and specific support for women and girls.

The funding will be provided through the UNHCR, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and other trusted humanitarian partners. We will support both internally displaced people within Iraq and Syria as well as those seeking refuge in countries of the region. This assistance will bring Australia's overall humanitarian assistance to Syria since the outbreak of fighting in 2011 and to Iraq since 2014 to around $230 million. This additional funding package will build on the $20 million Australia provided in response to the Syrian crisis in March, which included $3 million to support Australian NGOs assisting refugees in Lebanon. The Australian government has provided $18 million to Australian NGOs and the Red Cross to help people affected by the crises in Syria and Iraq.

Today's measures focus on assisting UN humanitarian partners to meet their mandates of providing protection and assistance to refugees and people displaced by the conflict in Syria and Iraq. We are advised that directly 240,000 people will be supported.

The Australian Council for International Development has commended the Australian government's announcement of additional assistance saying, we 'understand the scale of the need in Syria and the many overburdened and underresourced refugee camps in the region'. The Australian government will continue to work with Australian NGOs to support Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

I am aware that a number of Australian people have donated to this cause and are wanting to do more. I encourage the Australian public to donate to Australian NGOs who are providing assistance to refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

This government has long been concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Syria and we have long been committed to assisting. During my visit to Jordan and Lebanon last year, I witnessed both the plight of refugees forced to flee from their homeland and the overwhelming burden placed on countries, including Jordan and Lebanon, which currently house millions of refugees.

In Jordan, which is host to around 630,000 registered Syrian refugees, I was provided a firsthand insight into the human toll of the ongoing crisis. I visited a UNHCR refugee registration centre, which receives thousands of refugees on a daily basis. While there, I sat down with children—boys and girls no older than Alan Kurdi—as they played quietly with their toys, but their childhood innocence was not enough to shield them from the horrors they had fled.

I was told horrific stories of indiscriminate and barbaric violence and persecution, of family members who had died or were missing. I was told of futures, once bright and full of promise, that no longer existed. In a world crumbling around them, they clung closely to loved ones who were with them.

In Lebanon, where over one million registered Syrian refugees make up 25 per cent of the country's total population, I met with representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF to discuss how Australian support would assist those affected by the Syrian crisis. During this particular visit, I announced $20 million in funding from an Australian government initiative to support the United Nations No Lost Generation program that is providing educational and schooling support for those children in the camps to help build better futures for them when the conflict is over, but taking note of the fact that they had otherwise no access to schooling.

There has been much said about our focus on the ethnic and religious minorities in our measures announced today. The persecution of minorities in Syria and Iraq is deeply troubling. Religious and ethnic groups are severely impacted by the increase in violence. In the Middle East, there is a clear increase in religious and ethnic intolerance in the region.

This is a period of increasing sectarianism in the region and, through our contribution to international efforts to defeat Daesh, our humanitarian intake and our aid program, Australia is doing its part to support the people of Syria and Iraq in these darkest of times. She spoke about the visit she made last year to the region, to being present when people were being processed by the UNHCR and to the great need in the camps in particular. I have seen that need myself. The shadow minister for immigration, our chief government whip and others have travelled to the region to see the enormous need.

While it is absolutely welcome that the government has announced today that 12,000 more people will be brought from this most troubled and violent place and it is welcome that $44 million off assistance has been promised to the UNHCR and related agencies, the question is obviously why it has taken Australia so long. In fact, while this crisis has worsened since 2011, we have actually cut humanitarian assistance in Syria We cut aid to Iraq to zero dollars. We cut aid to the Middle East and North Africa region by 82 per cent. As this conflict worsened from 2011 to 2013, we provided $100 million and, from 2014 onwards, $55 million. This extra $44 million today will be very welcome and it will be put to good use by agencies that tell us that they are almost broke because of the enormous demand that has been placed on them. It will be put to good use in neighbouring countries that have borne the responsibility of caring for these traumatised and displaced people almost single-handedly. Countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and others in the region have required our help—have begged for our help—for months and years now and I am sure will be pleased that additional assistance is being provided today.

This is a complex issue, and in the time that we have today I can say a few quick things. The first is that, as our leader, Bill Shorten, said earlier, Labor will support the extension of the support we are giving to Iraq to protect its people and its territory, but we say that there is no simple solution to the problems in Syria. Without an international effort to bring the partners in the conflict and the forces behind them—arming them, supplying them, funding them—to the table, there can be no resolution of the conflict in Syria. So there must be a political solution that we play our part in delivering. There must be a greater humanitarian response from the world. In the short term we need to make sure that there are humanitarian corridors for the delivery of desperately needed food and non-food items to these most dangerous places. We must provide safe havens for the people who are facing every single day loss of life, bombardment and being overrun by Daesh or any of the other thousand or so organisations on the ground—or indeed by the Assad regime itself, which has killed many times more people than this wicked terrorist organisation.

So a political solution and a humanitarian response are needed, and of course that means a humanitarian response both for the people in the region who hope to return to rebuild their homeland of Syria and also to bring more people to Australia. There are people today waiting in camps who have relatives, family and communities here that would welcome and support them, and we must do our bit to support them too.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this matter of public importance. I believe that the measures that the government has adopted today are considered, appropriate and welcome. I regret that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, now leaving, suggested that there were some time issues in relation to this. I simply note that the Syrian war was underway when our colleagues opposite were in government. There may be issues about timeliness in relation to these questions. The judgements of how you should respond are always difficult to make. I say that very deliberately because of the enormity of the crisis that is before us right now.

When I think about my own time in public life, I saw something of the crisis and genocidal regime deposed in Cambodia—and what was left. I witnessed much of the Rwandan genocide. I saw the circumstances in which people fled, particularly from Afghanistan. I had the opportunity with the opposition whip to visit Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey as part of a parliamentary field visit in November of last year. If members wish to better inform themselves about the nature of this crisis, the report is worth reading. The enormity of it is detailed, particularly in the number of people displaced. The issues that need to be addressed to resolve it are detailed and unlikely to be easily addressed.

It is important to understand that this is not an easy issue to deal with but does demand a humanitarian response. We set out a number of approaches that might be taken. I want to say that, as one who looked at those matters, I welcome the government's response today. The additional 12,000 refugee places will not make up for the 14 million people I believe have been so disastrously displaced and affected, but it is a measured response that Australia can make. The additional humanitarian support for the agencies that are working is an important part of a considered response that should be recognised and acknowledged, and I do so.

In relation to the third decision—the expansion of air operations into Syria, which has been given careful consideration by the government following Iraq's request for international assistance—I can say that we will now help. The legal basis has been outlined, and I welcome the opposition's support for it. I simply want to note that there are very substantial reasons why perhaps even more should be done. I note that the government has not dismissed being involved in what further steps might be required. But I also note the UN Secretary-General's report of August 2015, when he had this to say:

Kurdish militias, backed by international anti-ISIL coalition air strikes, launched an offensive on ISIL positions in the south-east of the city, also causing the group to retreat. Its withdrawal prompted many of the estimated 120,000 people who had fled the city following the group’s advances to begin to return to their homes.

I do not argue that air strikes will necessarily resolve it all, but I think there is evidence that it can be part of an important response by the international community to try and restore an opportunity for people to be able to return home in safety. I have said it before and I will say it again: this crisis is not going to be addressed by resettlement programs. The numbers we are talking about are in terms of hundreds of thousands; there have been millions displaced. We need a response that will address the underlying causes, and that is why I welcome the government taking the view that this crisis needed a considered response. I thank the Prime Minister and his colleagues for bringing that forward today, because there is now a way forward.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What we have witnessed unfolding in Syria over the last few years as a result of the civil war in that country is a human tragedy on a genuinely extraordinary scale. Seven million people are estimated to be internally displaced. Four million people are estimated to have fled Syria; 1.9 million of those are now residing in Turkey; 1.1 million are now in Lebanon, representing one in four people who are in Lebanon today; and 300,000 people have sought to cross the Mediterranean this year, with tragic results. The images we have seen over the last few days, particularly that appalling photo of the lifeless body of Aylan Kurdi, have moved the world in terms of the crisis that is being faced by the Syrian people.

In monetary terms, there are staggering figures as well. Over the last few years we have seen an enormous amount of generosity on the part of the international community to try and meet the needs of what is occurring in Syria, but those needs continue to outstrip what can be provided. At the end of last year the estimated shortfall in the amount of funding was $700 million, and that shortfall continues to grow. In 2013 the operational requirements of the UNHCR were at $5.3 billion, and yet there was a $2.4 billion shortfall on that—nearly 45 per cent of the requirements of the UNHCR then. That figure of 45 per cent continues to grow, and today—this year—it is estimated that the UNHCR's need will be $6.2 billion. The country which is driving this humanitarian need more than any other is Syria. Yet all of that occurs against an international background where we are seeing ongoing humanitarian tragedies in Yemen, the intractable situation in Somalia and northern Nigeria with Boko Haram, in our region in Myanmar, in Ukraine and in Central America.

This situation in respect of Syria is not new. As the shadow foreign affairs minister mentioned last year, she visited both Jordan and Lebanon to see the plight for herself, and I know that the foreign minister has made those visits as well. Earlier this year I was in Jordan at the Zaatari refugee camp, within eyesight of the Syrian border, where I met Syrian refugees and heard their stories about what they had fled and about the situation they were facing. In April this year I met with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, to talk about the need of the UNHCR and how Australia might help. At the ALP's national conference this year, knowing that today the world is facing the greatest humanitarian need it has since the Second World War—with 59 million people displaced—we discussed the belief that it was essential that Australia put forward a program of greater international engagement and greater assistance to this global need. We announced a commitment of $450 million to the UNHCR over a three-year period, which is a transformational commitment for this country to that organisation. We announced the doubling of our humanitarian intake to 27,000 and we announced that Australia, under a Labor government, would play a leadership role within our region. All of this represents the single biggest offering of a potential Australian government to the world's affairs in terms of humanitarian need.

But today we see a crisis unfolding in Syria and a need to act right now. Over the last few days we have seen an outpouring of sentiment—offers of assistance from extraordinary places such as the states. On Monday we made our own announcement about the need to harness that sentiment for Australia to act, and now we have seen the government announce a 12,000 increase in our humanitarian program, which is absolutely welcome. It is a significant offer, but we do need to know the time frame of that. We need to know that that is within one financial year. We also welcome the fact that that will be applied on the basis of need and not with any religious bias, because that has been the bipartisan position of governments over the years. We note the $44 million contribution, and we welcome it, but much more could be provided. What is important is that, given the events of this week and the announcement of today, Australia can now hold its head high in terms of the offers we are making to this humanitarian disaster.

David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this matter of public importance in support of the government's response around this issue. I would like first of all to congratulate our Prime Minister for his leadership on this issue, which has been measured, sensible, proportionate and compassionate. Nothing in life is simple when you are dealing with the crisis that is in front of the world now in Syria and Iraq. But I must say that we have been operating ahead of the curve of many other countries that should have equal involvement in this, as much as Australia. Over the last couple of years, through our existing humanitarian refugee intake, we have resettled 4,400—and that is resettled, not processed with the paperwork filled out for the UN to decide where they could go. We have actually resettled 4,400.

As soon as this recent escalation happened, the Prime Minister and the cabinet dispatched our Minister for Immigration and Border Protection to Geneva. He has met with the United Nations refugee bodies and sought their advice. What they need most urgently at the moment for food supply, water, shelter, health care and all those things is cash. That is why the Australian government has provided more cash up front. To put things in perspective: other countries have promised more, but it is my firm understanding from what I have been briefed with that not all of them have actually delivered the cash they have promised, whereas Australia has delivered the goods that it promised. The previous government stumped up $100 million and this government, subsequently, about $56 million. This recent amount will get us over the $200 million mark. We are actually delivering what we are saying we are going to do.

Our response is on top of our already very generous humanitarian refugee intake. If you look at what we are scheduled to take over the next four years, that is already about 60,000 places. So with these 12,000 places, which I thoroughly endorse, putting that all in perspective, we are really doing our fair share. We have a compassionate program. We actually resettle people.

There are a lot of figures being bandied around about hundreds of thousands of people being processed. For people who are listening: processing for the UNHCR is quite different from resettling. When people are resettled in this country, once they are in the door and they have been given their visa, they are eligible for all the support that you need to re-establish your life. They can get financial support, education, training, Medicare benefits, rental assistance—all those things in the social welfare net. A lot of the countries in Europe that let people transit through their country do not offer any of that, but the numbers that happen there are made out by some of our opponents to show that Australians are mean and nasty. We are incredibly generous considering the size of our country and the fact that we are on the other side of the world, and we actually deliver what we say we are going to do. So I am really proud of the Australian nation. Through its most recent decisions by the cabinet and the Prime Minister, it is a really significant and magnificent response.

Another thing that I will just briefly touch on is frequently spoken about. That is the legal basis of the action and whether the flip side of our response, which is trying to address the root problem which has led to this social catastrophe, is justified. It certainly is justified. The Leader of the Opposition and other speakers have mentioned that article 51 of chapter VII of the UN Charter justifies collective or individual self-defence when a nation threatens you with arms, and that is what is happening in Iraq.

Daesh, the murderous Islamic death cult, is attacking Iraq. Iraq have asked us to help defend their nation. We have been bombing Daesh targets—not willy-nilly; the rules of engagement are very strict. If missions do not meet the exact definition of the terms of engagement, they are aborted, so they have to be very certain that what we are doing with bombs and destructive forces is actually targeted at the enemy, which is Daesh. That is the justification for going into Syria. It is not willy-nilly bombing Syria. It is going after, via air attack, Daesh and its henchmen and henchwomen. That is an existentially sensible and justified reason for our involvement. (Time expired)

Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Quite simply, the crisis in Syria and indeed in Iraq is humanity at its worst. The civil war, the Daesh insurgency, has left 11 million people homeless. Four million of those have fled the country of Syria to bordering nations, particularly Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, and many of those have made their way across the Mediterranean to better opportunities in Europe.

The scale of the problem I think is summed up by these simple facts and statistics. Lebanon has a land mass roughly the size of Sydney. It is not very big at all. It has a population of 4.3 million people. Currently, Lebanon is housing one million refugees. One in four people who are currently residing in that country are refugees. It is putting unbearable pressure on the region and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It is the largest humanitarian crisis and flight of refugees since World War II.

But it has been happening for some years. This is something that Labor in government understood. When we were in government, in response to calls from the UNHCR, Labor boosted our humanitarian intake from 13,000 to 20,000 over the course of a couple of years. As part of that, we boosted the number that we were taking from this war-torn region. Over the period from 2011 to 2013, the Labor government devoted $100 million in aid to humanitarian organisations and agencies that were operating on the ground in Syria and surrounding regions to deal with the humanitarian crisis.

Since that time, unfortunately, the crisis has worsened. Not only have we seen the civil war heightened between the Assad regime and the Free Syrian Army and other rebels, but the Daesh insurgency has got larger. They crushed the Free Syrian Army in the northern town of Azaz. In 2014, in January, they seized Raqqa and important oil and gas fields, which gave them a source of illicit finances to continue their operations. As the insurgency and the fighting have continued, the number of refugees has grown, and the crisis has worsened to become much more urgent.

It pains me to have to say this, but it is unfortunate that Australia's support for that region in terms of humanitarian effort has reduced since the election of the Abbott government. Aid to Iraq was cut to zero. That is a fact. Aid to the Middle East and North Africa was cut by 82 per cent. And the humanitarian refugee intake was cut from 20,000 back to 13,750. I think it is sad that it has taken leadership from Bill Shorten, from Mike Baird and from backbenchers like Craig Laundy to prod the Prime Minister into taking action on this issue, but it is pleasing that thankfully things have changed and the Prime Minister has today announced that Australia will take a one-off commitment of 12,00 additional refugees from Syria. That certainly has Labor's support. Australia must do its fair share, and we finally will do our fair share, but that should be done on a without-prejudice basis in relation to race and religion. It must be on the basis of the advice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and be principally about saving lives and the urgency. Our philosophy should be 'need, not creed'.

Some on the other side have suggested that, in accepting refugees in the this situation, we are taking 'refugees who can take Aussie jobs'. This statement could not be further from the truth. In September this year, the ABS released a very interesting report on the economic contribution of migrants, and they found that, over the period 2009-10, migrants generated $38 billion in income for Australia. An interesting fact was that humanitarian migrants were the most entrepreneurial. They reported a higher proportion of their income from running their own businesses, and this is an experience that I know well in my electorate, where refugees tend to run their own businesses, and their kids tend to be the most diligent and hardworking students. When they get the opportunity to live in a country like Australia, they make the most of it. That is something that strengthens our diversity, it strengthens our multiculturalism and, based on these on these figures, it strengthens our economy. That is something that Australia should be proud of, and we must contribute in that respect.

Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this matter of public importance and I am proud to endorse the Prime Minister's announcement that the government will resettle an additional 12,000 refugees who are fleeing the conflict in Syria and Iraq. This decision demonstrates once again the generosity of our country and continues our proud history when it comes to resettling refugees and helping those in desperate need. Australians are always prepared to stand up, to reach out and to do more. In every essence this announcement is what it means to be Australian.

These 12,000 places will be in addition to the existing humanitarian program of 13,750, which is scheduled to increase to 18,750 in 2018-19. Last financial year, Australia settled more than 4,400 refugees from Syria and Iraq. In addition, the Abbott government will provide an expected $44 million in humanitarian support to more than 240,000 Syrian and Iraqi people who have been forced to flee their homes or seek refuge in neighbouring countries. This funding will deliver much-needed food, water, health care, education, emergency supplies and protection, including support for women and for girls.

Our focus will be on those most in need—the women, the children and the families of persecuted minorities who have sought refuge from the conflict in neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. A team of government officials will depart for the region as soon as possible, to begin identifying and processing potential candidates for resettlement. With this additional commitment, Australia's contribution to help address the humanitarian crisis in Syria and Iraq will be around $230 million since 2011. This commitment will require the support of all Australian governments and community organisations. As a government, we will engage the state and territory leaders and community organisations in coming days to discuss how the nation can contribute to this effort.

I want to congratulate the Prime Minister, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Immigration and Border Security on the manner in which they have organised Australia's response to this crisis. Crises such as this require calm, thoughtful and responsible consideration in order to be able to determine the most effective response. In this regard, I want to particularly mention the work undertaken by Minister Dutton in consulting the international community in Geneva and coordinating how Australia's response can and should be coordinated to complement the international community's effort to address this crisis. As the Leader of the House pointed out yesterday, the government has been going through a very methodical and sensible process. Today's announcement from the government is the result of that work. This issue should not be used for political gain or in a manner that creates division in our society. This crisis is also an opportunity for our nation to come together to demonstrate the best of who we are as Australians. I want to thank the many constituents from the electorate of Brisbane who have contacted me over the past weeks. I want to thank you for your concern and your compassion.

Australia's response to this crisis is multifaceted and, regrettably but inevitably, must also have a security and a military response. Again as a result of extensive consultations with our allies and the international community, the government has decided to extend Australia's air strikes against Daesh into Syria. This action marks the next phase of Australia's contribution to the international coalition and their efforts to disrupt, degrade and ultimately defeat the Daesh death cult. The decision to expand air operations into Syria has not been made lightly, and it has not been a knee-jerk reaction. It follows Iraq's requests for international assistance to strike Daesh strongholds and a formal request from the Obama administration. I thank the defence forces for all that they do every day in the Middle East. The legal basis for these operations is the collective self-defence of Iraq, under article 51. The Daesh death cult does not respect borders and threatens the security of Iraq and the international community from its safe havens in Syria, and it is the correct decision—it is the right decision—that the world responds in the defence of humanity. It is absolutely critical that in the coming days, weeks and months—Australians will see more human tragedy—that we be a country that is generous. I support the decision to take 12,000 refugees into our country in a manner that is consistent with our best tradition of generosity.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night I spoke about the only good that has come from the devastating images of a toddler's lifeless body being washed up onto the beaches of Turkey is that the world is finally paying attention. Given what we are seeing unfold in the Middle East, the largest and most devastating humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, there is an overwhelming imperative for bipartisan support to be applied by this parliament. Many European countries are already opening their doors to tens of thousands of refugees against a backdrop of the UNHCR estimating that now 366,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe so far this year. Sadly, at least 3,000 people have already died making that treacherous journey.

The magnitude of this humanitarian crisis is staggering, with more than half of Syria's 23-million population currently displaced and five million seeking refuge in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. More than half of the United Nations aid budget is now being directed to assist the displaced people of Syria. Hopefully that gives us some indication of the size and devastation of this crisis. The number of refugees that have already flooded into Lebanon almost equates to half the country's population, with Jordan and Turkey also making substantial contributions. These countries are certainly carrying more than their fair share in this humanitarian crisis. They are struggling to deal with the numbers involved. As a consequence, they are now moving to heavily manage their borders, which, in turn, is making it more difficult for people to seek safe haven in these countries.

Late last year, the member for Berowra, the Father of the House, and I visited refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. We saw first-hand the despair, the lack of hope that exists in those camps. I spoke to many refugees, mainly women and children, and their consistent view was they just want to go home. They want to be able to return back to their homeland in Syria and pick up where they left off. I do not think you can spend time with people in those camps and come away unaffected.

What started as a protest movement in 2011 in Syria has now developed into a full-scale civil war. Even so, it was widely believed that the Syrian conflict would only last for a short period. This was apparent in the design and construction of the UN camps, like the one Philip Ruddock and I visited in Zaatari in Jordan. The camp was built to provide accommodation for people for a three-month period. Four years later, there is no end in sight to the conflict, the people are still in the camp and still there is no hope of going home.

The various UN agencies, Save the Children and others, are doing a fantastic job and we should all be proud of that. But they are struggling with the enormity of the task of looking after millions of people. Against that, the UNHCR estimates that this year the budget for its humanitarian work will be 10 per cent less. Therefore, it was certainly very welcome when the Prime Minister announced today an additional $44 million of extra funding to aid those agencies. This is most welcome. It will certainly provide much needed relief for those agencies delivering such vital work that are currently under strain.

Given the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis, I know that 12,000 additional places for Syrian refugees might sound like a drop in the ocean, but, considered as part of the global effort, it is a very significant initiative and shows our desire as a nation to make a difference. It is only right that Australia should continue to work with other countries and the UN Security Council to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict; as peace will not be achieved through military action. This will be the best long-term solution and will allow people to return home.

Along with many Australians, including all those that turned up at candlelight vigils, I think the action taken today is right, it is just and it is the action of a compassionate nation.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is good to have this opportunity to speak on this matter of public importance because this is a great day for our country. This is a magnificent moment where the generosity of spirit and the determination of Australia to be a helpful country to those most in need is on display. We should be proud. There is no doubt about it. I have not received any emails or any points of contact from anybody debating that we should not take 12,000 refugees. That is again a testament to our nation and to the spirit of Australians.

Whilst we should be proud, we should never forget that right now around the world and particularly around the Syria-Iraq war, people are suffering. People are dying. People are in the most desperate circumstances. I am not talking about the movement across Europe for whatever motivation that is but I am talking about right now in these conflict zones, in these war zones people are having the hardest of existences. It is costing lives.

Bringing 12,000 people as soon as possible out for permanent resettlement in Australia is the thing that we should absolutely do and it is a great thing for this country to do. I do compare that to other countries around the world. Everyone should look to the detail. For us, it will be 12,000 people for permanent resettlement. There are other countries around the world where, in the detail, it is not quite so good a deal. The numbers might be good, but is it a permanent deal? Is it processing or is it resettlement? Australia has a very good record in this space and a world-leading record for this moment and for this war.

There is no point in us trying to be political in this place and I certainly will not try to be political in any way. I do not want to demean this great moment for our country. But I do want to go to an important issue. This is something that I have been quoted in the papers as having said: that the ultimate problem does need to be fixed. I have said that there is no point putting endless buckets under a leaking roof; you just have to fix the roof. So I disagree with the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, who says that you can bring groups like IS to the table for negotiation.

My view is that anyone who is into slavery, beheading, torture, rape and paedophilia is subhuman, and these are not the sort of people who can be negotiated with or rehabilitated. I can see only one way to deal with groups like IS, or Daesh. They must be destroyed. They must be defeated. Eventually, the world will come to the realisation that that is the only way and that action must be taken.

Until the defeat and the destruction of IS takes place, we are going to continue to see more refugees until there is no-one left in Syria or Iraq. If IS gets to that point where they have driven all minorities, or anyone who disagrees with them, out of those countries, it is not just going to stop around the borders of Syria and Iraq; it is going to keep going and they will expand and expand. In the end, the reality is that they must be defeated and they must be destroyed, otherwise there will be nothing but an endless reign of refugees, human suffering, brutality and evil. We do not want to see that around the world. Nobody wants that. I am afraid that in the end, it is going to come down to a fight and we should probably be ready for that and be willing to do what needs to be done. It is sad but true.

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The discussion is now concluded.