Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to speak on the motion on Afghanistan. Much has been said, and so at this stage of the debate I will keep my comments brief. Members of our Defence Force are a dedicated group of professionals who joined their respective services in the knowledge that one day the government may make a decision which could put them in harm’s way, particularly when all avenues of government effort, including diplomacy and dialogue, have failed to resolve a crisis situation. Accordingly, it behoves the Australian government to ensure that our defence forces are fully equipped, well trained and able to be sustained in order to meet potential threats to our democratic way of life and, indeed, the freedoms we now enjoy today. Let us not forget the many sacrifices that have been made by members of our defence forces past and present; in all likelihood they will be called upon to do so again well into the future of our very complex and sometimes troubled world.

Afghanistan to date has had a long history of civil unrest, and our involvement in defeating the Taliban is, hopefully, a final chapter where the Afghan people will be able to go about their lives in peace and prosperity. Our involvement in Afghanistan received bipartisan support, and, although it had been a tough and protracted campaign, with many making the ultimate sacrifice for their country, we must be steadfast, stay the course and complete the mission. We should explain to the Australian people our intent and why we need to resolve the Afghan crisis.

This debate may be timely in terms of the protracted nature of the Afghan campaign. Based on military judgment, the Australian government may, as required, modify and redefine the Afghan strategy for mission success. However, I have concerns about the intent and the myopic ideology of the left through their manifestations in Labor, the Greens and their various hangers-on, including GetUp, the unions and some media commentators. I fear that beneath the surface of their intent lies a more sinister undertone. My husband served for 35 years in the Royal Australian Navy. He remembers only too well how poorly servicemen were treated during the Vietnam era, mostly by the left wing of politics and their lackeys in the community. It was a disgraceful situation then, and now today those opposing should conscientiously keep the putrid aspects of their ideologies in check. Let us not return to those dark days when service men and women were subjected to ridicule and abuse simply because they were members of the Defence Force and were implementing Australian government policy.

I remind the Labor-Green alliance to ensure that our armed forces are fully supported in their endeavours, particularly when we have sent them into harm’s way. Our service men and women, and their families and loved ones, need to know that the government is supporting them in a very tough mission in full knowledge that what they are doing is right.