Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Payne. Yesterday we learnt that North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test, involving what it claims is a hydrogen bomb meant for an intercontinental ballistic missile. This comes after weeks of escalating and frightening rhetoric from both President Kim Jong-un and President Trump. The threats to North Korea are clearly not working. Indeed, they seem to be having the opposite effect. Despite this, the Turnbull government has doubled down and continues to back the dangerous US President as he continues to escalate tensions. Minister, please explain how the Turnbull government's reckless decision to support Donald Trump's policy of escalation leads the world away from the path of war.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Di Natale for his question. What the senator fails to appreciate is that a significant proportion of the sanction measures which have been adopted most recently unanimously by the UN Security Council are only coming into full operation now. They are very comprehensive and important sanctions that must be given the opportunity to work. In engaging in discussions with our allies the United States, with Japan and with South Korea we are acutely focused on the potential impact that the regime's behaviour has not just for the region, not just for our own countries but indeed for the world. Every diplomatic measure, every measure that can be pursued through the UN Security Council, must be pursued and pursued to its fullest degree. That is the position which the government has taken.

At the same time, the Prime Minister has made it quite clear that the US and Australia stand as the strongest of allies on this issue. We understand that we have to make it extremely clear as allies and as observers of the rules-based global order, as observers of international law, that the behaviour of the regime in North Korea is illegal, is provocative and is destructive to regional stability and security, indeed international security and stability, and that is the very clear approach that the government, the Prime Minister, the foreign minister and I have taken.

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

Senator Di Natale, a supplementary question.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that Australia has seen fit to pre-emptively offer our military support to the US in a war with North Korea, but we have done more than that—we recently joined the US in war games on the Korean peninsula. Can the minister explain in what scenario we would avoid the loss of millions of lives on the Korean peninsula if the US and its allies pursued a military solution to the North Korea problem?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I'm not sure how the supplementary question relates to the original question but, notwithstanding consideration of that basic rule of Senate procedure, I would observe that the exercise to which the senator refers is an exercise of many years standing and is one in which Australia has participated before. If the senator wishes to engage in the same sort of rhetoric that the regime in North Korea engages in, which is to say that exercises are illegal and unlawful and much worse, then that is a matter for him and his political party. The more sensible observers, the more sensible commentators, are trying to deal with this issue in a reasonable, rational and considered way. This includes Australia and our allies. I spoke to the Japanese defence minister this morning, and I will be meeting later this week our allies in South Korea. If the Greens and Senator Di Natale choose not to do that, that is a matter for them.

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

Senator Di Natale, a final supplementary question.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Reasonable' and 'rational' are not words that we would normally attribute to President Trump. Indeed, I would say he is somebody who is deeply dangerous, somebody who is putting us at risk. After close to a year of overwhelming evidence, hasn't the time come for us to unshackle ourselves from the US alliance?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In fact, the time has come for us to take the issues we are facing in relation to the North Korean regime very seriously and not to engage in the sorts of rhetoric Senator Di Natale is pursuing. The time has indeed come for us to ensure that with the international community, in the strongest possible way and as broadly as possible, we seek the application of the sanctions supported by the UN Security Council and that for countries where it is appropriate, such as Australia, those autonomous sanctions that we have adopted be applied and enabled to run their course as well as they can. We must ensure that we exercise all those options, because, as I have said in the chamber before, to do otherwise would risk catastrophic outcomes in relation to this particular engagement.