Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

LAXALE () (): My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government continuing to support Ukraine in defending against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. Last week the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I had the absolute privilege of meeting Australian Defence Force personnel who were providing training to new recruits of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of a UK initiative in England.

On many occasions, the Leader of the Opposition and I have seen our own Defence Force personnel being put through their paces, and it's always impressive. They are training to build their skills and their capabilities for a range of scenarios that they might face in the future, but there is a certain distance between the training that is done and what the training is for. Here, it was completely immediate. Everyone knew where these recruits were going.

We watched a drill where the recruits walked through a field. In this scenario one stood on a mine, and immediately the rest froze because where there is one mine there might be another. They pulled out a small metal rod and started probing the ground around them to establish a safe perimeter. Then there was artillery fire. They immediately hit the ground in the prone position, adopting the smallest profile. We were advised that this is exactly what's going on in Ukraine right now.

I watched one of them, face down on his stomach with one foot over the other, with the kind of shaking, nervous twitch that you might see with a student who was deeply engrossed in doing an exam. These people could not have been more engaged in this activity. They were absorbing this knowledge as though their lives depended on it, because, of course, their lives do.

I spoke to a number of the Australian trainers who do this kind of training each and every day back home but had never done training like this. They absolutely understood the seriousness of this moment and the consequence of what they were doing. All of us should feel proud.

I had the enormous honour of speaking to a number of these Ukrainian recruits. On New Year's Day this year—think about what we were doing on that day, just a few weeks ago—they were a builder, a driver, a clerk, with about as much military experience as me, and yet here they all were, wearing their nation's uniform, ready to fight on behalf of their family, on behalf of their country and, in many respects, on behalf of us. What's at issue in Ukraine is the very sanctity of the global rules based order which is the foundation of our security. They were completely aware of the brutality of the conflict in which they were about to engage, which resembles World War I more than World War II. The appalling thought that we all had, which they all knew, was that if you applied the casualty rates the Ukrainian forces have experienced of the last few months to the cohort we were looking at, a significant number of them were about to meet their maker in the coming months, and yet they were there.

This was one of the most poignant scenes I have ever witnessed. It was completely inspirational. I know that, whatever those people are about to face in the months ahead, they do so with the complete and total support of every member of this House.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—Firstly, I want to congratulate the Minister for Defence for being there and supporting our troops. The work that they undertake in our country's name is recognised by countries around the world. Our partners, our allies, have stood shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of the Australian Defence Force in battles near and far, and our reputation is revered around the world.

I had the great honour of visiting some of the troops in Lavarack Barracks in the member for Herbert's electorate not too long ago, and they had been on a similar training exercise to provide support, particularly around the gifting of some of the vehicles to the soldiers in Ukraine. You could see in their relaying of the story a similar account to that the Minister for Defence just gave. They knew what they were doing was tangible and that it counted. They knew they were preparing people to defend themselves against a brutal regime that didn't know the boundaries of decency by which our soldiers abide. The brutality—not just brutality towards soldiers but the wholesale slaughter of men and women and children in Ukraine this very day—is a tragedy we haven't seen in recent times.

The depravity of Putin and those around him is rightly called out, most recently by our Prime Minister. The Australian public should know that we stand absolutely united as parliament in support of the work the government is undertaking. I am incredibly proud that we were able to provide $285 million worth of defence materiel when we were in government to Ukrainian forces at the request of President Zelenskyy, and we will continue to provide that support because the world, more than ever, needs to hear from nations like Australia. The values the minister rightly spoke of need be asserted in our region and in Europe. The work that President Zelenskyy is doing—a modern-day Churchill. His meetings with Prime Minister Sunak and the way in which Germany and others are providing support is a great credit to like-minded countries. We very proudly stand with them, and we always will.