Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I note the comments made by the minister. We honour the service of the Australian Defence Force in Afghanistan, and most especially those who gave their lives in defence of the values of freedom. Regrettably, the circumstances surrounding our departure raise legitimate concerns about the rationale behind decisions taken that have led to the present extraordinary policy and military failure. As I have repeatedly stated, we had a moral obligation to assist locally engaged Afghanis who provided vital support over the years to the ADF and to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. That is what DFAT told senators in questioning at estimates in May

What I don't understand is that US forces and our forces were withdrawn before the mission of extricating civilians was completed. Now we've had to redeploy ADF forces to assist the security situation at Kabul airport, noting that the US has had to redeploy thousands of Marines as well. In that regard, we seem to have put the cart before the horse. As John Howard stated in the Australian on 9 July, we have 'a moral obligation' to provide asylum. Their fate must not be decided by 'narrow legalism'. Mr Howard told SBS:

That was a moral obligation that we shamefully discarded many years ago, when we pulled out of Vietnam, and I do not want to see a repetition of that failure in relation to Afghanistan …

Further, in this regard Mr Howard made some very clear comments on 18 August on the 7.30 report. He said there was 'an overwhelming belief' in 2001 that Western intervention, following the September 11 attacks, was the right course of action and he did make the point that 'there is no evidence that a major terrorist attack has been orchestrated out of Afghanistan' since the invasion.

A few days ago, we saw the Taliban press conference. Notably, a headline in the Sydney Morning Herald on 18 August stated 'The Taliban are all smiles now but what happens next?' We know what will happen next. The Taliban will revert to being the oppressive regime we know from the past. The reports of brutality by its militants in the different regions of Afghanistan speak to the brutality of a regime that, after 20 years, has seen little change. On the same day the Taliban leadership was vowing to honour women's rights, reports emerged that a woman was allegedly killed for not wearing a burqa. The Taliban promised safe passage to Kabul airport for Afghanis trying to flee the country, yet women and children are being beaten and whipped as they try to pass through checkpoints set up by militants.

We will also see a change in the global geopolitical situation. The enemies of the West, most particularly China and Russia, will be emboldened. Already, China is sabre-rattling in relation to Taiwan.

I note the minister's comment that combating terrorism just got harder. I agree with her, given the sheer volume of military equipment which the United States abandoned in their premature extraction from Afghanistan. This was not the plan that Donald Trump negotiated for the withdrawal. The opportunities for extracting civilians now are very limited and much more dangerous. Sadly, we failed to abide by the maxim 'Hope for the best and plan for the worst'.