Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will the minister advise the House of the importance to our region of the fight against ISIS in Iraq in Syria?

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

I thank the member for Moore for his question and note his concern about ISIS, the self-described Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a very dangerous and brutal terrorist organisation. Our objectives in our fight against ISIS remain destroying its base in Iraq and Syria, countering its poisonous and violent ideology, preventing its spread globally and taking away its capacity to carry out terrorist attacks globally and regionally, including in Australia.

Australia is already one of the largest contributors to the fight against ISIS. We have about 1,000 Defence personnel in theatre. In Iraq, they have been training 20,000 Iraqi security force personnel, including police, who are involved in the operations to take back Mosul from ISIS. In Syria, the RAAF have carried out about 2,000 missions against ISIS strongholds.

Last week I attended the first full meeting of the Global Coalition to counter ISIS. A total of 68 member countries now form that coalition, which was designed to accelerate the coalition efforts to defeat ISIS. Amongst the outcomes from that meeting, the Global Coalition confirmed that it is necessary for us to counter the ideology and the narrative, encourage more voices of moderation within Islam and be more politically persuasive to those at risk of radicalisation. It was also acknowledged that more must be done to create economic opportunities and greater political engagement in countries where there are large numbers of young people, in particular, who risk alienation, which we need to prevent.

It was also acknowledged that our region is facing a particularly challenging counterterrorism environment. Islamic extremists have infiltrated the southern Philippines, and last year Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of the dangerous terrorist group known as Abu Sayyaf, was declared as an ISIS emir, which means he is the regional commander. The Philippines government is concerned—indeed, President Duterte confirmed—that it is their belief that ISIS may well declare a province of the ISIS caliphate from the Middle East in the southern Philippines. The Australian government has responded with a package of support to promote development and peace in Mindanao and the southern Philippines in particular.

The global coalition is determined to ensure that we defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria and prevent its spread to our region.