Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak in support of this important urgency motion, and I commend Senator Chandler for this motion and this initiative. For months now, need has been mounting for this Labor government to deliver a further package of military, humanitarian and energy assistance to Ukraine—something that has and continues to be overwhelmingly supported by the Australian people. It is time now for less spin and more action, which would be incredibly welcomed by Australians.

In the spirit of bipartisanship, and also drawing on my own background, I've been working very closely with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia and Australian de-mining experts to prepare an options paper for the ambassador and the Australian government on what Australia can do to assist Ukraine with de-mining and also with mine action. It is a modest but incredibly meaningful and important package and one that can save so many civilian lives now and well into the future. The need is absolutely great and it is urgent and it will be ongoing.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in early 2014, Russia has used a wide range of explosive ordnance throughout Ukraine, including mines, cluster munitions, booby traps, mortars, artillery, rockets and missiles. They are also now using improvised explosive devices aimed at women and children. They're rigged up in houses, in streets and even in children's toys. Ukraine is now the most mined country in the world and, unsurprisingly, de-mining is now the third most important issue for Ukrainians after shelling and also family reunions. The UNDP estimates that nearly 15 million Ukrainians are impacted by landmines and other explosive ordnance. It's estimated now that 30 per cent of this very large nation has been contaminated with landmines, which, to put it in perspective, is half the size of Japan or Italy.

While Ukrainian explosive ordnance disposal and combat engineer personnel are very capable, there are simply not enough of them to meet the competing demands of combat operational support and humanitarian mine clearance. The humanitarian assistance is also very ably assisted, as Senator Fawcett has said, through organisations such as the UNDP and the Halo Trust.

There are two types of mine action responses desperately needed to be supported in Ukraine. Firstly, there's combat or operational de-mining or mine clearance, which is conducted by uniformed service personnel within the combat zone itself. Secondly, there is humanitarian mine action, which covers surveys, clearances, risk education for civilians and victim assistance. And here in Australia we can provide both. We are incredibly—sadly—experienced in both.

Australia also is home to specialist technologies and businesses, such as Minelab and Gap Explosive Ordnance Detection, that are already supporting the Ukrainian humanitarian mine action, but so much more could be done. We have extensive military and civilian experience in humanitarian mine action and combat de-mining. The ADF has supported, for many years, de-mining efforts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Cambodia and Mozambique, and many of our retired, highly-trained ex-ADF personnel have continued to support and often lead these missions around the world.

I firmly believe, and this was in my proposal, that Australia should be providing a skilled training team to deliver basic counter-explosive hazards, high-risk engineer search and explosive ordnance disposal training to Ukrainian armed forces. I propose that this could and should be conducted as part of the third rotation of Operation Kudu, which is training delivered in the United Kingdom. We have the capacity, we have the experience, we have the materiel and we have the equipment to do this and provide this support tomorrow.

The ambassador did write last month to the Defence minister, Richard Marles, asking for practical de-mining assistance that had been outlined in this paper. But a month later he still has not heard back, and neither have I. In that spirit of bipartisanship it is time for the government to start acting and supporting practical, meaningful things that can save so many lives in Ukraine and work in conjunction with so many other nations. So the time is now for the Labor government to act, for them to have a look at the proposal and tell us what they're going to do in conjunction with everything else my colleagues have talked about today.