Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] The deadline is to action everything, with the utmost urgency, right now. That's why we're seeing multiple flights running in and out of Kabul airlifting people out each and every day at present. I pay thanks once again to the Defence Force, Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs personnel, all of whom are in difficult, challenging and dangerous circumstances and helping to undertake and expedite that very important work.

As the Prime Minister has said, if the deadline for departures that the United States has spoken of is pushed out—he has made it clear to the United States that we support that. The government has made that clear. We will continue to support all operations as long as they are safe and feasible and help people to leave Kabul and Afghanistan, especially those who have worked alongside us. We will continue to do all we can in terms of giving that assistance, which has seen more than 1,600 leave in the last few days alone.