Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] Over the last two weeks Australians have watched in horror as the Taliban's offensive escalated into a rapid takeover of Afghanistan's regions and eventually its capital. Within days, provinces and cities fell, one after another. Afghanistan's civilian government, security forces and institutions crumpled.

It is with a heavy heart that we face the tragic reality that, despite 20 years of international military intervention and development assistance and despite thousands of lives lost, the international community has fallen far short of its goals and all Afghanistan's gains are imperilled. These events have been heartbreaking for the people of Afghanistan, for the Afghan Australian community, for our veterans, for our diplomats, for our development workers, for the loved ones of the 41 Australian soldiers who lost their lives in battle and the hundreds more who died after the war as a result of its traumas and for all those in Australia and around the world who hope for a better life for the people of Afghanistan.

I have spoken with Afghan Australians, and I have seen their pain and their fear. I've spoken with Afghan women in Australia, trailblazers, community leaders and patriots, all deeply proud of their heritage, often lost for words as they witness the return of a regime whose brutal repression of women we know too well.

In conflict and in peace, in our region and beyond, Australia has been prepared to step up to play our part. Australians understand the power of cooperation with allied and aligned nations, with partners on the ground, with local communities, organisations and activists. And Australia's security is best served wherever we are, for we are trusted as a nation that helps those who help us, and that trust is built on actions, not words.

Like many others, including so many veterans, I fear the Morrison government's failure to act has now tarnished that reputation. Not only has it fallen short ethically; it has harmed our national interest. On 13 April the United States announced that it would fully withdraw its troops by 11 September, and on 15 April Mr Morrison announced the withdrawal of Australian troops by September 2021. It was subsequently reported that the last Australian troops departed on 18 June. On 25 May the government announced the closure of the Australian embassy, citing security concerns. It is true that the speed of the Taliban advance was insufficiently anticipated, but it is also clear that this government had time to prepare and act. For months now, many, including veterans of the ADF, former prime ministers and the opposition, have been calling for urgent action to get those Afghans and their families to safety.

I, and so many colleagues, have been inundated with requests for assistance from veterans, Afghan Australians, development workers and diplomats. For so many, the fear that those who helped Australia and who worked to build a better Afghanistan would be left behind to face the wrath of a vengeful Taliban exacerbated the trauma they were already suffering. Government ministers gave assurances help was on the way, but, at the same time, Australians heard report after report of Afghans caught up in bureaucratic gridlock. Security guards at the Australian embassy were told they wouldn't be eligible for humanitarian visas before being told they could apply. In recent days, 100 such applications have been rejected, with the security guards being informed by a template letter, before the advice changed yet again. Afghans who implemented Australia's development projects were told they were ineligible to apply because they were employed as contractors. But, of course, to the Taliban, these are simply people who helped us.

The United Kingdom announced an acceleration of its relocation policy, offering priority relocation to the United Kingdom for Afghans at risk who were working or had worked for them. In June, Germany expanded its eligibility criteria. But our government did neither. In July, the previously announced US airlift evacuation of interpreters and their families began. This government told us Australia wouldn't join the airlift and that it had no plan to mount a similar operation, and that was on 15 July. So here we are, a month later, with our ADF and government personnel being called on to do precisely that in far more perilous circumstances.

To the members of the ADF and to all the public servants—and I particularly mention those from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade who are working to evacuate Australians and those who helped us—I say: thank you. Thank you for your courage, thank you for your commitment and thank you for your service. We hope and pray this operation will be successful. I also hope that, after it has concluded, this Prime Minister will take the time to ask himself whether he should have heeded warnings and calls. Mr Morrison now deflects to the wisdom of hindsight. Instead, he should understand the consequences of wilful blindness.

Our mission in Afghanistan commenced in the aftermath of the terrible events of 9/11, and it achieved its initial objectives, but we sought to do more. With many brave Afghan men and women, thousands of whom died in the fight, we sought to build a better life for the people of Afghanistan, and gains were made: the return of millions from refugee camps in neighbouring countries, girls in school and women participating in civil society, politics and the professions. That these gains have not been secured is tragic, but that does not mean they were not worth striving for, because they are always worth striving for. In the time to come, we will have to grapple with what we have learnt from this about the limits of military intervention and foreign backed statehood. This mission did not end the way we wanted or hoped, and we should face that reality squarely. These are issues which demand responsible and sober engagement, and all who served and all who will be called on in the future to serve are entitled to that honest appraisal.

We do not know yet what shape the next government of Afghanistan will take. We do know that the Taliban inherits a changed Afghanistan where two-thirds of the population are under 25, most of whom have no memory of its brutal rule; where democracy, women's rights and burgeoning media and civil society, however limited, were facts on the ground; and where citizens are already resisting the Taliban's return, fearful for their futures and unwilling to set the clock back. We know too that Australia and the international community now have to contend with the consequences of this crisis, including the flow-on effects for regional and global security, and we know that strategic advantage from the West's withdrawal will be sought by some. Our government will need to work with allies and partners to counter this, to ensure the security of Australians and to find ways to press the Taliban to deliver on their public commitments to inclusion, the rights of women and minorities, and the security of those who have supported our forces. So I endorse the foreign minister's support for the UN Security Council's call to which she referred in her contribution.

Having said that, we acknowledge that Australia's ability to influence Afghanistan's future is likely to be limited, but there are immediate priorities on which the Morrison-Joyce government must act. In addition to evacuating all Australians and Afghans who supported Australian operations, the government must fast-track visas and evacuations for the family members of Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents, and it should commit to many more humanitarian places for Afghans who are at risk of serious harm by the Taliban. Protecting the Afghan journalists, community leaders, activists and human rights defenders, especially women, should be central to Australia's response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

The Morrison-Joyce government's offer of 3,000 visas is insufficient. Australia did not use its full refugee quota last year, and we have over 13,000 places available each year. Sadly, the places on offer will only help if we are able to secure passage for those who need it, a task made much harder by the current crisis. Mr Morrison must ensure that Afghans in Australia on temporary visas are not deported and have pathways to remain here, because there is nothing temporary about the crisis in Afghanistan. Finally, the government must outline how it will work with international partners to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and to Afghanistan's neighbours, who will bear the impact of those fleeing for their lives. These are all the ways Australia can still make a difference.

Many thousands of Australians served and worked in Afghanistan in the ADF, in our diplomatic service and through our aid programs and beyond. To all these courageous men and women I say, 'Thank you for your service, courage and commitment.' I end by again paying tribute to those who fell in our name in Australia's longest war. I honour their sacrifice and I extend my sympathy to their families and friends. Thank you.