George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Rhiannon, I can assure you that the Australian government's aid budget is devoted to promoting peace and stability in the world. And there is one region of the world at the moment, Senator Rhiannon, in case it has escaped your attention, which is desperately in need of peace and stability and humanitarian rescue, and those are the poor souls of northern Iraq. Those are the Christians of northern Iraq, the Yazidi people of northern Iraq and many of the Islamic communities in northern Iraq as well. They are the victims of savage and brutal conduct by the terrorist group ISIL. So the Australian government, I am pleased to say with the opposition's support, is determined to do what we need to do to rescue those people, by intervening in a humanitarian fashion, to stop the slaughter. The only voices raised in this parliament who would not have us do that, Senator Rhiannon, are you and your colleagues.