Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Brandis. Senator, is the government now treating the overseas aid budget as an ATM to dip into to fund its war in Iraq, at a time when overseas aid assistance is urgently needed in Iraq to help reduce poverty and to assist with essential services, to rebuild damaged infrastructure and to kick-start a stalled economy caused by past wars and conflicts? And doesn't this proposal to slash aid funding in order to fund a war demonstrate that Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop is a poor advocate for the overseas aid component of her portfolio?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Rhiannon, I am extremely surprised to hear, from a member of the former Labor-Greens coalition, criticism of this government's treatment of the aid budget, because, might I remind you, Senator Rhiannon—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. To clarify: we opposed those cuts at that time.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a debating point, Senator Rhiannon.

Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could you ask the minister to be accurate?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order.

Government senators interjecting—

Order on my right!

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know Senator Rhiannon is very practiced at reinventing history. Senator Rhiannon of course has spent most of her life as a member of a political party that was particularly famous at reinventing history. But you are not going to get away with reinventing history this time, Senator Rhiannon, in your post-communist iteration.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I draw your attention to him being, again, misleading. I have been in the Greens for over 20 years. It is not relevant, and he is misleading. Could you ask the minister to be relevant to the question?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I draw the minister's attention to the question.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sorry; I acknowledge that Senator Rhiannon has not been officially a member of the Communist Party for the last 20 years.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer, Minister.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Returning directly to Senator Rhiannon's question, the government which she supported in office removed $5.7 billion over the forward estimates from the foreign aid budget, and, as the foreign minister in the government that you, Senator Rhiannon, supported in office, former foreign minister Bob Carr said: you cannot have an unsustainable aid budget because you cannot run aid on borrowings. Those were former Senator Carr's words: 'You can't run aid on borrowings.' The current government has got the aid budget back on track. It has been stabilised, in the current financial year, at $5.032 billion, and it will be indexed across the forward estimates. So, Senator Rhiannon, while the government that you sustained in office slashed billions from the aid budget, this government has stabilised the budget and is committed to increasing it in line with CPI.

Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, do you acknowledge that your version of 'stabilisation' is with a literally greatly reduced budget? And, considering it is widely recognised that overseas aid is critical to fostering peace, security and stability in low-income countries, how is diverting Australian aid money to pay for military operations going to benefit the people of Iraq? How will that make Australia and our region safer?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Rhiannon, I can assure you that the Australian government's aid budget is devoted to promoting peace and stability in the world. And there is one region of the world at the moment, Senator Rhiannon, in case it has escaped your attention, which is desperately in need of peace and stability and humanitarian rescue, and those are the poor souls of northern Iraq. Those are the Christians of northern Iraq, the Yazidi people of northern Iraq and many of the Islamic communities in northern Iraq as well. They are the victims of savage and brutal conduct by the terrorist group ISIL. So the Australian government, I am pleased to say with the opposition's support, is determined to do what we need to do to rescue those people, by intervening in a humanitarian fashion, to stop the slaughter. The only voices raised in this parliament who would not have us do that, Senator Rhiannon, are you and your colleagues.

Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Considering the savage brutality in northern Iraq, which you have identified, and the humanitarian crisis there, why did your government in February this year end, stop, the aid budget going to Iraq? The $360 million allocated five years ago is now zero. If Australia's role in Iraq was a humanitarian mission, as described by the government, why do you need to cut the aid budget in order to fund it?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In June of this year, following the Australian government's decision to refocus its aid program on the Indo-Pacific region and Iraq's ability to fund its own development from oil revenues, the decision was taken to discontinue the development aid budget to Iraq. What I am talking about, Senator Rhiannon, is humanitarian assistance to that part of the world. I can assure you that the humanitarian assistance which Australia is providing to the people of northern Iraq is something of which they are desperately in need. The common view of the region and the common view of the world, except that little corner carved out of the world and occupied by the Australian Greens, believe that the people of northern Iraq are entitled to humanitarian intervention and that is what we mean to do.