Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I rise to speak to the motion moved by Senator Payne. The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan has been drawn into sharp focus by the images of the chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport. We have watched history unfold before our eyes, just as we did 20 years ago when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed and the Pentagon burned from the September 11 terrorist attacks. It's our obligation to bear witness to these events because Australia has played an active role in Afghanistan from the beginning. It has been our longest war, and it has not been without enormous cost.

It's important that we acknowledge the 41 Australians who lost their lives in Afghanistan. It's important that we acknowledge, even if we can't really know, how their families must feel at the moment. I would say to them that it was not in vain. The mission to Afghanistan has not been a failure. The initial objective to hunt down al-Qaeda and destroy its base of operations was achieved. It was right for Australian forces to stay in Afghanistan as part of the effort to secure and rebuild the country. For me, there is no question about this. The questions which remain are whether the withdrawal of coalition forces was too hasty, whether the Taliban will again implement a regime as oppressive and terrible as the one which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, whether Afghanistan will again become a safe haven and operations base for Islamic terrorists under the Taliban, and what coalition countries will do for Afghans desperate to flee a resurgent Taliban.

Many are saying the withdrawal of Western forces was premature. This position has been underlined by the rapid way the Taliban has taken over control of much of Afghanistan. I had the privilege of visiting Afghanistan three years ago to have a look at what our troops were doing to train the Afghan army. Our people held the younger local trainees in high regard and had strong hopes for the future of Afghanistan. The problem was the old guard: fighters still around from the days of the Taliban. It was clear to me we needed to stay a lot longer and support a younger, more enlightened generation to lead Afghanistan to its rightful place among the modern community of nations.

Now there are reports that intelligence estimates of the strength of the Afghanistan government and armed forces to resist the Taliban were ignored by the unhinged President of the United States, Joe Biden. President Biden has presided over a disaster that could have been avoided. The Taliban now have access to modern weapons and equipment given to the Afghan army, enough for up to 300,000 troops to enforce their rule and supply terrorists. The threat of Islamic terrorism has increased again. This disaster has diminished the standing of the United States and Australia. It's very telling that, while we close our embassies in Kabul, Russia and China are keeping their embassies open.

While the Taliban have made noises about being more benign rulers, particularly with respect to women, there are indications they have not changed since 2001. They have freed thousands of Islamic terrorists. There are reports of executions in the streets and lists being compiled of women to be married off as sex slaves to Taliban fighters. And we have all seen the terrible images of people desperate to escape the Taliban at the Kabul airport following the rapid collapse of the Afghan government. These images have shocked the world, even knocking the COVID-19 pandemic off front pages for a couple of days.

As was inevitable, the usual suspects are putting pressure on the Morrison government to increase Australia's humanitarian refugee intake and bring in a flood of refugees from Afghanistan. The Greens want 20,000 places made available over and above the 13,750 existing places available in our humanitarian program. Labor has called the Prime Minister's offer of 3,000 places within the current humanitarian intake 'piecemeal' and the figure 'plucked from nowhere'. Amnesty International says the offer is 'insufficient'. One Nation encourages the Morrison government to resist these very predictable and opportunistic calls to open the floodgates to a new wave of refugees. Because the government has already been bringing Afghans to Australia for resettlement for years, more than 8½ thousand have come to call Australian home since 2013, when the coalition government came to power. The government is working to bring in those Afghans and their families who worked with the Australian forces and are at risk as a result, and some have already arrived. One Nation strongly supports this effort. We owe it to the Afghans who worked with Australian forces to make their country a better place. But we do not support opening the floodgates to waves of undocumented arrivals again.

The current environment is simply too chaotic for individual applicants to be properly vetted to ensure they don't pose a threat. Afghans have been exposed to a fundamentalist ideology incompatible with living in Australia. There are more than 40 Islamic countries that are better suited to accommodate Afghans fleeing Taliban rule. Australia is hardly in a position to accommodate a flood of new arrivals in any case. They are possibly people who will hate our culture and way of life, people who may never hold a job, people who may want to destroy our democracy. We already have a domestic housing crisis, skyrocketing public debt, growing urban congestion and massive dependency on welfare, all of which are only exacerbated by lockdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, the Morrison government is already showing some signs of caving in to the pressure. It has called the initial figure of 3,000 places a floor, not a ceiling. The Morrison government is holding the door open and could significantly increase the number.

I will not apologise to anyone for not being a bleeding heart. I am a realist and I am not convinced large numbers of Afghan refugees being allowed in to this country is in Australia's best interests, especially with large numbers of terrorists being released from prisons by the Taliban. The PM's open door represents yet another failure to show leadership, which has been the defining feature of the major parties in government during this pandemic. The Prime Minister has surrendered control of the pandemic to premiers and chief ministers in the states and territories. The Prime Minister has surrendered leadership around the vexing question of vaccine mandates, and he is now leaving the door open to surrendering control of our international border and humanitarian visa program to the bleeding hearts of Labor, the Greens and the open-border brigade. They are looking for any and every way to open the floodgates and return to the time when people smugglers were effectively in control of Australia's immigration and refugee programs.

People smugglers are poised for just such an opportunity. They will be active in Afghanistan right now, preying on desperate people. We cannot return to that situation in Australia. Too many people died, and we are still dealing with the fallout years after the last boat arrived. The Prime Minister needs to make it absolutely clear exactly how many people his government plans to bring here from Afghanistan. He needs to show some leadership at last. This parliament and the Australian people deserve to know who will be coming here and the circumstances in which they will come. The Prime Minister cannot leave it open-ended, as that's exactly what the people smugglers have been waiting for.

I have to respond to Senator Hanson-Young's comments when she talked about the oppression and the persecution of women and children happening there. Might I remind her that exactly that is happening here in Australia. It's no different. Why aren't you speaking out about that? Why aren't we debating that on the floor of parliament? What about the child brides? What about female circumcision? What about women having to wear the burqa because their menfolk tell them to? This is happening right on our own doorstep, and you're worried about another country. It is oppression or persecution when we have multiple underage marriages happening on our own doorstep, and yet we do nothing about it.

I would also like to point out that I did go to Afghanistan and I saw what was happening on the ground there. I met interpreters and people who worked with our Defence personnel. They were highly regarded. Yes, I think our presence there did a lot for the country. Just after I left, they had an election. ISIS and those fighters over there were actually lining themselves up at the polling booths to stop people from going to vote. They wanted their freedom. I spent two hours in the Afghan military training college. I walked around with a brigadier, who showed me what was happening. We had women in classes. For the first time, they were actually allowed to join the defence force. For the first time, they were actually allowed to teach in schools. For the first time, they were allowed to join the police force. The country was moving forward.

Now this has happened, and I ask myself the question: Why? Why are Russia and China still over there? Why is Imran Khan, from Pakistan, a supporter of it? We had big problems coming. I saw President Joe Biden unhinged. He either actually had no idea what was going on over there or he wasn't advised, because I was there for three days and I could see exactly what was going on and what needed to be done. I blame the Prime Minister for not stepping up to the mark and having it out with Joe Biden, asking why the troops were not left there long enough to get our people and those that helped us out of that country. The Taliban is now armed with equipment they've never had before. They will become a force to be reckoned with, and, if they really do join up with ISIS, I believe that the Western nations around the world will feel the force of terrorism. It will reach our doorsteps again, because this will be seen by the fundamentalists as a win for them.

That's why I oppose these people freely coming into the country. You can't open up the floodgates. We have a lot of terrorists there that hate our democracy and hate our way of life. You cannot just open up the floodgates. We have to know who we're bringing into the country. This fight is very important. You talk about debating these issues on the floor of parliament. Our ministers and the Prime Minister should have their fingers on the pulse to know what is actually happening there. Sometimes we have too much talk on the floor of parliament, and nothing happens. We must put these decisions in the hands of those authorities who really know what is happening. Most politicians on the floor of parliament haven't been to Afghanistan. They have no idea what went on over there. I went over there, and I saw for myself. I do understand the importance of us being there—to liberate the country, to liberate those men, women and children—but, like I said to you, you ought to start looking in your own backyard instead of talking about the persecution and oppression of women and children over there, because it's happening in our own country. You're a representative, Senator Hanson-Young, for all the people here in Australia, so I suggest you start looking at that. I'll be quite happy to have that debate with you. Let's sort out what's happening to the women and children in Australia. Thank you.