Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to reports in The Australian newspaper that the Prime Minister suggested unilaterally sending 1000 Australian troops to the eastern Ukraine last year. Did the Prime Minister consider such action?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the days immediately after the shooting down of MH17 by Russian backed rebels—in the days when those Russian backed rebels were refusing to release the parties to the international community—we did talk to our Dutch friends about what might be done to ensure that those parties came back to their loved ones. We did talk to the Dutch about this, as the Australian people would have expected. We were not going to allow dead Australians to be violated by Russian backed rebels.

Government members: Hear! Hear!

We were going to stand up for the rights of their families and we will never—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lingiari will desist.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

apologise for standing up for the rights of Australians here and abroad. We did talk to the Dutch about what might have been done in those perilous circumstances—and they certainly were perilous circumstances—to ensure those bodies came back to their loved ones. There was talk with the Dutch about a joint operation. Was the number that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition puts to me suggested by me? No. Was this some kind of frivolous exercise by me? No. This arose out of the most important and the most necessary discussions between the Dutch military and our own to uphold and defend our vital national interests and to do the right thing by the people of our country.

Government members: Hear! Hear!