Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will continue where I left off last night where I listed the terrorist incidents that have occurred around the world in the last month alone. The point I was making was that the suggestion that we somehow have Islamic extremism under control or 'contained'—the word used by the US President—is highly mistaken and dangerous.

We know that ISIS currently control a land area greater than the size of the United Kingdom. They are supported by an almost ecstatic enthusiasm. Every single day they are attracting hundreds of willing fighters all over the world. Only this week the US State Department issued a worldwide alert about the risk of a terrorist attack. We need to admit and acknowledge the problem that we face. When the French President said that we are at war with Islamic extremism or ISIS, that 'we' is not just France. That 'we' refers to everyone who believes in freedom, democracy and liberty.

Our fathers' generation defeated communism; our grandfathers' generation defeated fascism; our great-grandfathers' generation defeated German militarism. It is the task of this generation to defeat Islamic extremism. But I have some great concerns that we are not taking this problem seriously. In thinking about the tasks and how should we go about tackling and defeating this scourge, we should perhaps look to our history—and our history has told us that appeasement does not work.

WH Auden wrote a poem that was titled September 1, 1939. He did so while reflecting on the growth and strength of fascism and how, during the 1930s, the democratic nations had appeased the totalitarians and allowed them to grow strong. He wrote:

I sit in one of the dives

On Fifty-second Street

Uncertain and afraid

As the clever hopes expire

Of a low dishonest decade:

I am concerned that we might look back in 10 or 15 years time and have those words quoted back to us: the low and dishonest decade. Yes, we have some clever hopes—hashtags and hugs and flowers—but they are not going to defeat an enemy that is bent on worldwide domination.

As I mentioned in my previous contribution last night, there was a warning from a former German member of parliament, who wrote a book, Inside ISIS. He warned that we in the West are dramatically underestimating the risk. He said:

The IS fighters are much smarter and more dangerous than our leaders believe. In the Islamic State, there is an almost palpable enthusiasm and confidence of victory, which I have not seen in many war zones.

He warned that their plan is for hundreds of millions of people to be eliminated in the course of religious cleansing. He also warned that all moderate Muslims who promote democracy are also targeted to be killed because, from the Islamic State's perspective, they promote human laws over the laws of God.

In considering how we tackle this scourge, we should learn from our history. We know that appeasement does not work. We also know that sometimes our peace, our freedom and our democracy have to be won and protected at the point of a gun. It is perhaps worth considering a quote attributed to Martin Luther King, perhaps one of the greatest pacifists of all time. He is quoted as saying:

… if your opponent has a conscience, then follow Gandhi. But if your enemy has no conscience, like Hitler, then follow Bonhoeffer.

He was referring to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a religious man and a pacifist all his life who knew that when you see extreme evil you are entitled to use extreme violence to defeat it. These are the lessons that we should learn from our history.

I am also greatly concerned that there has been foolish talk which compares the strength of the Islamic State with conventional military. I will give an example of why this is both foolish and dangerous: the attacks on Paris involved eight terrorists and an estimated expense of maybe $20,000. For that, they killed over 130 innocent civilians and caused billions of dollars in economic damage. That is why you cannot look at this challenge in those types of military terms and compare their strengths to our strengths. For very little manpower and for very little resources, they can cause enormous damage.

I will conclude my contribution with a quote from Merv Bendle, an Australian historian. He has warned of the danger of appeasement to Islamic extremism. He has warned that we are currently on a long downhill road. He said:

Comparisons with the fall of the Roman Empire are apt. That empire rotted from within, from the head down, it's leadership … decadent and unable to face the ferocious barbarian invasions that looted it, decimated it's population, destroyed it's invaluable cities and infrastructure, and ultimately left it a shell. Europe was condemned to a thousand years of darkness.

History will repeat itself unless we in the West say that our freedoms, our democracy and our liberty are worth saving and worth protecting, because that is what will give us the courage to fight, and fight we must.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on indulgence in response to the Prime Minister's statement on the recent horrific terrorist attacks that have occurred around the world. As Australians, we stand side by side with the people of Paris, of Ankara, of Baghdad, of Beirut, of Mali, of Kenya, of Pakistan, of Jerusalem, of Tunisia, of Egypt and of the many other cities and countries that have experienced cowardly attacks this year. We here in Australia have also not been safe from the horrors of terrorism. Just last month, Curtis Cheng was going about his daily life, serving the people of New South Wales. He was leaving his workplace, where he performed that public service in Parramatta, when he was gutlessly killed in an act of terrorism.

We mourn for all the families of those killed by terrorists this year and before. We mourn and we stand in solidarity, but I also passionately acknowledge that we will not have our freedoms taken from us by these cowards and/or misguided young people. Terrorism is not a religion. Terrorists are criminals who cloak their criminal activities in the ripped and distorted veil of religious extremism. Australian citizens must always be careful not to let our fear of terrorism manifest itself in the hatred of any of our neighbours who follow the Islamic faith. Fear breeds hatred and intolerance. It can be easy to get caught up in the spreading of hate if we become fearful. It is our responsibility to make sure that hope quashes fear. We cannot control our neighbours, but we can talk to them, even if they are different, come from another country, have different religions or—even worse!—follow a different football team. The very worst thing that we could do is ostracise a group of Australians because of their religious beliefs or other beliefs. If we do that, the terrorists win. We must, despite our fears, be an inclusive nation. When we do so, we are at our best as Australians.

I have seen in my electorate of Moreton Australians doing just that: everyday people being inclusive and not only that but sharing that they care and that they have concerns for their neighbours, colleagues, schoolmates and even, especially, for the strangers in our community. Surely one of the best tests of whether someone is a decent human being is how they treat a stranger.

Mr Speaker, I will give you some examples of the wonderful contributions being made by the groups in my electorate of Moreton, which I have the honour of representing and serving. I commend Yeronga State High School—not just their staff, but the broader community—for their advocacy in trying to free Mojgan Shamsalipoor from detention and allow her to remain in Australia with her husband. They will continue to support Mojgan and advocate on her behalf until she is free. I commend the Annerley 5 Neighbourhood Watch for their work on the renaming of the Clifton Hill Peace Park, a great little activity. Next year, they hope to hold a safety seminar for the local community. I commend the MacGregor Lions club—my Lions club, not that I am an active member—for their great health expo, which they also plan to recreate next year. It is a great service for the south side community, and an activity that highlights the importance of men's health. I also commend Yeronga Community Plus. They hold a free community breakfast each Thursday, and will continue to do this into next year. They also provide a great 'give and take' program. I dropped in to see them last week and helped out with the community breakfast. It is a pretty smooth ship that they operate, and the camaraderie and friendship between the staff, volunteers and patrons is inspiring.

Debate interrupted.