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

I rise today to discuss the Department of Defence annual report 2023-24 and the subsequent committee inquiry. The report included five key themes, with the first theme focusing on Australia's assistance to Ukraine. It's important to note this month, on 24 February, is the three-year anniversary of Russia's unlawful and brutal invasion of Ukraine. For 1,078 days, Ukraine has stood resilient and pushed back in defence of their sovereignty and of global democracy. As a democratic nation that always stands up with other nations that face an existential threat to their very being, we have stood up and supported them and supported democracy. But I'm afraid that Australia, like many other nations, is doing just enough so that Ukraine doesn't lose, but also doesn't win the war.

There are five recommendations from the report on Australia's assistance to Ukraine: (1) that the Australian government continue providing military assistance to Ukraine while exploring additional opportunities to encourage and support Australian industry and institutions to further contribute to the support effort; (2) Defence publishes a statement on its internal policy approach to Ukraine; (3) the Australian government establish a whole-of-government mechanism, a one-stop shop, potentially within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; (4) the Australian government review any legislation, regulations or policies that govern decisions around the placement of diplomatic personnel in high-risk locations; and (5) the Australian government reopen, finally, the Australian embassy in Ukraine, with a permanent military attache alongside it as soon as possible. So the first thing I would do is call on this government to provide a report back to this place on the progress and the timeline for each of the five recommendations. This ongoing war of aggression is a stark reminder of how fragile democracies can be, and how vital it is for Australia to do all it can to help others fight their wars, because, if we were in their shoes, we would absolutely want and expect other nations to help us defeat tyranny.

Late last year I hosted a briefing with His Excellency the Ambassador of Ukraine and Dr Yuriy Scherbak, an adviser to Ukraine's ministry for strategic industries. I did that as a co-chair of the parliamentary friendship group of Ukraine. They highlighted the urgent need for further support to fight back against Russia. Australia ranks 35th out of 41. How pathetic is that? We are 35th out of 41 donors on the German Kiel Institute Ukraine support index, which ranks the aid given by donors to Ukraine. This is a sad indictment on this government. Not only are we 35th out of 41 donors but the materiel provided to Ukraine has that whiff of being the old junk out of the cupboard we no longer want, and it's certainly not what Ukraine have consistently said to us that they need.

One of the things that the Ukraine government and the ambassador here have said consistently for nearly 18 months is that the main assistance they want from Australia is help with their communications, which is a huge issue. Twenty-five per cent of Ukrainian fixed networks have been damaged, and over 4,300 base mobile connection stations have either been destroyed or damaged. This is something that Australia can contribute to which will make a huge impact on Ukraine, not only on the battlefront but also in towns that have been cut off, not just now but also when reconstructing. The system that the Ukraine government has requested on more than one occasion from Australia is actually an Australian product. They need 50 of the Citech NEXUS 16 systems, which are manufactured in Western Australia. These systems are important not only for communications on the battlefield but for the recovery of communities back to properly functioning societies. So we must consider, and I urge the government to consider, this request, with the additional funding that's been announced, to back in Australian industries to provide Ukraine with what they have asked.

Debate adjourned.