Robert Ray (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We have heard from the pathetic defector from the National Party in Victoria talking about heroin drying up—and as a broad principle that is correct. But if he cannot see that the 162 per cent explosion in land cultivation of the poppy in Afghanistan is eventually going to affect Australia, I feel sorry for him. One of the reasons why most heroin comes from the Golden Triangle into Australia is that the rest of the Afghan heroin production goes to the rest of the world. But we are not isolated from the rest of the world. If it expands and blows up in Afghanistan it will be available to come into Australia. That is the first point.

Secondly, in my supplementary question I asked Senator Ellison what the Australian government is doing to assist the Afghan government to stop this explosion—no answer; that part of the question was not addressed at all. The part that was was addressed with a distortion of my question. My question was fairly explicit. It asked about Australian troops who were in Afghanistan—we know the reason they are there and we support the reason they are there—and whether the Afghan government is so inept that it cannot stop the explosion of poppy growing, which in turn, by the way, is funding the Taliban to be able to resist and threaten Australia’s troops. How you can move from that point there to say that my question alleges that Australian troops are protecting poppy growers, I do not know. It takes an awfully sick mind to get there. It is a pathetic diversion tactic, and it does not do Senator Ellison any credit. I did ask him to withdraw it. He refused.

I remind the chamber I made some silly interjection here about 18 months ago, it was not recorded in Hansard and a senator on the other side took objection to it and mentioned that to me. I came straight down to this chamber, I apologised to the senator and I withdrew the remark, and, apparently, only a couple of people ever knew what the remark was. So I have at least set the example. As for Senator Ellison, for the first time in this chamber in 25 years I ask for something that was said about me to be withdrawn—doesn’t happen, and the Leader of the Government in the Senate, who is sitting at the table, does not encourage it. I am disappointed in him.

Question agreed to.