Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the month of August I travelled to the Middle East as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. I'll have much more to say about that trip in the coming days. But, whilst I was in the Middle East, I travelled to Kabul, Afghanistan, to join with the Afghan government to celebrate their 100th anniversary of independence from Great Britain on 19 August 2019. August also marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries of Australia and Afghanistan. I was joined on this trip by Senator Kitching who also went on the ADF Parliamentary Program.

On arrival at Kabul we were welcomed by President Ghani at the presidential palace and by ambassadors from the four corners of the world to celebrate our 50 years of diplomatic relations. The presence of so many men and women of the diplomatic corps is testament to the good standing that both our countries enjoy from the international family of nations.

In my speech to the assembly, I spoke of the long history of Afghans in Australia, stemming back to the middle 1800s when Afghan cameleers opened trade routes through some of the most inhospitable parts of the Australian outback.

Australia has sadly lost 41 members of the Australian Defence Force in Afghanistan since 2001. Australia, as a nation, has paid a heavy price to secure and protect the freedoms of the Afghan people and President Ghani was at pains to point out to me that the people of Afghanistan will never forget the sacrifices made by the Australian people and, in particular, the families of those soldiers who died there.

Sadly, for many Australians, including the media, the war in Afghanistan has dropped off the radar. Australia has not lost an ADF member in Afghanistan since Lance Corporal Todd Chidgey died from a non-combat related gunshot wound on 1 July 2014. Some 216 members of the ADF were wounded in Afghanistan and they no doubt bear the scars, both emotional and physical, of their tours there.

The ADF is doing very important work in Afghanistan training, advising and assisting the Afghan National Army. Whilst in Afghanistan we visited our troops at the ADF headquarters in Kabul where we received briefings from Brigadier Tim O'Brien.

I also want to highlight the great work that our embassy is doing in Kabul, led by our ambassador, Geoff Tooth, Rowena and all the staff at our mission. They are doing an absolutely sensational job, and we owe a debt of gratitude to them as well.