Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister representing the Prime Minister (Senator Abetz) to a question without notice asked by Senator Di Natale today relating to Syria

It is with a heavy heart that I say today how disappointed I am with the response of Senator Abetz to a very important question from Senator Di Natale. Senator Di Natale asked him why parliament cannot have a say and have a robust debate about what appears to many people to be an open-ended conflict, a perpetual war in the Middle East. To suggest that because we question an executive government strategy on the deployment of our armed forces, our service people, that we therefore do not support our defence people is the worst kind of dog whistle politics. Let me make it very clear—

Senator Canavan interjecting—

thank you, Senator Canavan, through you, Mr Deputy President—the Greens absolutely support our defence personnel, and that is exactly why we are asking questions in this chamber. I have friends still in the services and I can tell you that they would want someone in parliament asking the right questions, asking to have a debate about the deployment of defence personnel. They would want to know that their parliament was debating this. For Senator Abetz to say that, therefore, we do not support defence personnel because we question the government—if we cannot question in parliament our government's deployment of service personnel, which is one of the most important decisions that any government can make, then where can we? Where will it be questioned? This is the place to do it; this is what we have been elected by the Australian people to do. To use the dog whistle that somehow we do not support people in uniform—this is exactly what we heard 100 years ago in debates on conscription in the First World War. It was the same thing: if you do not support sending Australian soldiers over there you are against defence personnel. In fact, a lot of people back then wanted to protect Australians going off to war because of what was a horrific conflict.

I marched for the first time in my life, when I was a banker in Sydney, against the Iraq war. I did that at that time because the war felt wrong, and 13 years later I am standing in parliament talking about a conflict that has stemmed directly from our illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. I recently read David Kilcullen's Quarterly Essay 'Blood Year', and I recommended that every senator reads that. I raise this for two reasons. David Kilcullen, who was there during the surge, very clearly points out the mistakes, the errors, the follies of that invasion of Iraq. What was very troubling to me was that he then went on to say that the current strategies in place are not working, will not work and could make the situation worse. We all want to get rid of ISIS, every single one of us, especially me. Every Australian wants to see peace in the Middle East and an end to this awful conflict—I think everyone around the globe does—but David Kilcullen raises the point, as have a number of other military experts, that our current strategy is not working and is only making things worse. It is increasing radicalisation; it is exactly what ISIS wants. We are giving them what they want. What is troubling is that he then goes on to say that because it is not working the solution that is required is boots on the ground. We have heard this from other military experts as well.

Almost a year ago, when we first started bombing in Iraq, Senator Milne stood up in here and said that the Greens were concerned about mission creep and we wanted a debate. We have had mission creep today; we have had official recognition of mission creep. I hope to hell that we will not have to send soldiers into Iraq and Syria next September because of the decision that has been made by our government.

I just want to finish on this note. Senator Abetz feigned outrage that Senator Di Natale questioned the timing of this announcement. Let me make it very clear: this government has politicised national security and this has undermined their credibility. It might just be a coincidence that next week is a by-election and that the Prime Minister's scalp very likely relies on the success of the Liberal Party in that by-election, it might just be a coincidence that these two things have occurred when they have, but, once again, it is our role to ask these questions and to point these things out. If we do not stand up and ask these questions in parliament, then who will? (Time expired)

Question agreed to.