Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The Labor Party seems to think that the terrorists can just hack it out in Iraq and establish a base there and that that does not matter. At the end of the day, that matters to our national security. For terrorists to succeed in Iraq is for terrorism to win internationally. That, in turn, undermines our own national security. This government is not about populism; it is about standing up for our national security.

See this speech in context