Steve Hutchins (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Faulkner. I offer him congratulations on his appointment. Can the minister inform the Senate about his recent meetings with defence ministers from Regional Command South and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation regarding the progress of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hutchins for his question. Last week I did have the opportunity to participate in meetings with defence ministers from countries comprising the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Defence ministers from Regional Command South nations received an extensive briefing from Major General Mart de Kruiff regarding the current situation in the region, which is acknowledged to be the most dangerous in Afghanistan and is where the risk of attack by insurgents is the greatest. Ministers also participated in discussions about the challenges faced by and future organisation of military efforts in Regional Command South.

The ISAF component of the subsequent NATO defence ministers’ meeting provided me with an opportunity to advise NATO of Australia’s enhanced commitment to the conflict in Afghanistan, the largest to ISAF by any non-NATO nation—a very critical contribution to the international community’s efforts for the stabilisation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. I was able to reinforce Australia’s commitment to Afghanistan, Australia’s support for the additional US presence in Afghanistan, the need to focus on the training of the indigenous Afghan security forces and the need for certainty regarding future NATO operations in Oruzgan province. I was accompanied on the visit by the Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary of the Department of Defence, and their attendance very much assisted in providing a valuable opportunity for strategic discussions on progress and the challenges faced in Afghanistan.

Steve Hutchins (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister inform the Senate of the outcome of any bilateral discussions he undertook with defence minister counterparts from other nations contributing to the International Security Assistance Force?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I did take the opportunity that the ministerial roundtables provided to also have a series of bilateral meetings about the future direction of ISAF, including with the US Secretary of Defence, Dr Gates, and my ministerial counterparts from Canada, New Zealand as well as the Netherlands, who are our partners in Oruzgan province. I also met with the newly appointed defence secretary for the United Kingdom, Bob Ainsworth, the Afghan Minister for Defence, General Wardak, as well as Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the NATO Secretary General, with whom I was able to discuss NATO’s current thinking on Afghanistan.

Steve Hutchins (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. My final question is: can the minister update the Senate on his visit to Afghanistan and his meeting with Australian Defence Force personnel at Tarin Kowt?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can report that after my meetings in Europe I visited Afghanistan to meet with Australian Defence Force personnel based at Tarin Kowt in order to obtain first-hand information about the situation there and the critically important role the ADF is playing in Oruzgan province. At Tarin Kowt I met with troops from the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force as well as leaders of the Special Operations Task Group. I received very detailed briefings on the progress of the conflict in Oruzgan and ongoing reconstruction efforts. I can say that, as you would expect, on behalf of the government and us all I expressed our thanks and our gratitude to our troops for their magnificent efforts facing considerable hardship and risk. (Time expired)