Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

The first part of the question, I think, was in relation to the question of violence and peace, order and good government. Obviously, we believe that violence is not the way to achieve peace, order and good government. We are there to protect the Iraqi people from the violence being inflicted upon them. That is the point of our being there—to protect the Iraqi people from the violence being inflicted upon them. We are there, and we are in Afghanistan, at the direct request of the democratically elected governments of those countries. If that invitation were ever withdrawn, obviously we would leave, but we are there at their request. What they need, most importantly and foremost, is security to assist in protecting the people of those countries from the violence being inflicted upon them.