Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I never intended to get into this debate. I do not understand it all that well. I thank Senator Faulkner. He always, at the first opportunity, comes and briefs the parliament on this. I think we owe him thanks for doing that.

But I listened to Senator Bob Brown and I think there has to be some response to this. Senator Bob Brown is attacking the USA administration for incompetence. It is nothing unusual for the Greens to do that. They continually do that and they continually get the ultra-left of the Australian constituency. That is their target and that is what they aim at. But then, Senator Brown, you go on and say we should leave Afghanistan to decide its own future. I might remind you, Senator Brown, five, or six or seven years ago that is exactly what happened. We heard unbelievable horror stories coming through where women were being hanged for not wearing the appropriate dress. It was horrific. People had to wear appropriate clothing—or whatever the Taliban considered appropriate—to go into the street.

Is that what you want to return to? Because that is what you have told the Senate you want. You continually attack the Americans, who stand out there and carry the great weight for the world to stop the Taliban encroaching on neighbouring countries. We owe them a vote of thanks for being prepared to stand up and be counted.

12:44:22 I am surprised that you would say that, Senator Brown. War is cruel and it is bloody, and there are always going to be casualties. We all send our sympathy to the families of the people killed in this tragedy; war is tragic. But to take the next step and say we should withdraw our troops and let the Taliban take over Afghanistan, take over Bangladesh, move through and take over all those Muslim countries, is just unbelievable, and it will not be accepted by the 90 per cent of people that support the Labor Party or the coalition. Yes, Senator Brown, you will win the vote of your leftie 10 per cent; you have got their vote. You do not have to do this—you have got their vote. But you should not go and condemn America. The people who called the strike will be going through hell. They will be examining their consciences and whether they could have done better. You cannot just go and put a blanket cover over it, condemning the Americans for standing up for what the rest of the world believes in, which is that people do have freedom that they never had under the Taliban, and advocate that we go back to that terrible regime that was just horrific. I just cannot find any words that would encourage people to go back to that and I think that, if you are honest with yourself, Senator Brown, you would not want that to happen. Women were forced into football arenas and hung because they were not dressed appropriately or they went out without a male escort or family. Is that what you really want? Is that what the Greens are asking the Senate to endorse? I do not think 85 to 90 per cent of Australians would want that. So I have to respond that I think Senator Bob Brown has gone right over the top and I do not think his remarks have the support of the Australian public.