Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his answer. It seems the government is relying more on its belief that progress is being made. Will the minister at last acknowledge that a democratic and a peaceful society will not be brought about by violent means? I ask the minister whether he is aware that the Canadian Committee on National Security and Defence has argued that Canada should increase its foreign aid budget by 100 per cent to provide aid to countries like Afghanistan, saying that the lack of aid to Afghanistan means that Afghans do not know who Canadian troops are—whether they are occupiers or liberators. Couldn’t the same be said for Australian troops in Iraq, Minister? Wouldn’t it be better to spend on aid the millions that our troops’ presence in Iraq is costing? Shouldn’t we fund hospitals and infrastructure rather than risk the lives of our troops and those of more Iraqi civilians?