Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak tonight to speak on Australia’s role in Afghanistan and, most importantly, to give my unequivocal support to Australia’s role in Afghanistan and to pay tribute to the amazing work being done by our very brave soldiers. I start by saying that I am neither a hawk nor a dove. I do not favour war as the only means to bring about a result, nor do I think it morally wrong to fight another for what you truly believe in. I do believe that, after taking expert advice and evaluating all options, once the decision is made to act it needs to be with the full force available, in particular to mitigate collateral damage and bring about as rapid a solution as possible. Most importantly, I do believe in staying the course and completing the job you set out to do. I would never support cutting and running. The price that has been paid in Australian lives alone is just too great to do that.

My ongoing support for Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan is based primarily on four things. It is based, first, on expert advice and briefings provided to me in my former role as shadow minister for defence science and personnel and assisting the shadow minister for defence on our role and the outcomes being achieved; secondly, on those fine men and women I have met while visiting Australian defence forces in Tarin Kowt, Kandahar and at Al Minhad air base; thirdly, on the many discussions I have had with my own constituents who serve the nation at RAAF Base Williamtown and the families who have been left behind as our men and women deploy onto active service; and, fourth, on my belief that we are blessed with a magnificent freedom and democracy that others should be able to enjoy.

In Australia, we take for granted our peace. Our children do not know what it is like to grow up in civil war, under a dictatorship or with the threat of a regime which crushes personal freedoms and expression. For that, we are extremely blessed. However, I support our involvement in Afghanistan also because we do not and cannot fully understand the oppression of others. The war in Afghanistan is not a war to be won quickly or easily. This is not a war of sovereign states versus sovereign state. This is not a war fought against an opponent who abides by the Geneva convention. This is a war against insurgents who know no rules. This is a war against opponents who are willing to sacrifice civilians and children in order to protect themselves. This is a war to say no to terrorism and yes to the freedoms and democracy we know as Australians.

My children probably would not remember where they were on 11 September 2001, as they were only nine and 10 years of age at the time. However, September 11 was when the innocent were lost and when terrorism first became known to many. September 11, 2001 is a day that will live in infamy for all decent citizens of the world. The images that flashed across our screens were almost unbelievable. It was impossible to imagine the kind of evil that could conceive such a plan. Fifteen Australians were amongst the almost 3,000 people who were killed that day. Sadly, many nations were personally touched by this reprehensible act of cowardice. On that day, President Bush spoke to his people and to the rest of the world and said:

America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened.

Although 11 September 2001 was a day of unspeakable sadness, it also managed to deliver the very best facets of human spirit. I remember well the grief and anger of Australians, a grief and anger that quickly morphed into a resolve and a commitment to ensure that it never happened again. Beyond our nation, the world stood as one and said ‘Never again’. Now, more than ever, we must remember those words ‘Never again’.

Just a year later, on 12 October 2002, 88 more Australians lost their lives in the first Bali bombings. Once again, we were reminded that the cost of inaction is greater than the cost of action. Once again, we were reminded that there is a price for peace. The difficulty in measuring the success of this deployment to Afghanistan is the fact that success is gauged by a lack of terrorist events. There is no tangible measure of success. The difficulty in recognising and, therefore, acknowledging the success of our deployment should not detract from our resolve.

The fact that al-Qaeda has been unable to make repeat attacks on the scale of 9-11, Bali or the London bombings proves that it has been contained. Its leadership has been splintered and dispersed. Its ability to organise acts of terror has been nullified by virtue of the coalition’s presence in the region. To withdraw now would be to ensure that the nurseries and incubators of terrorism would once again be open for business. Furthermore, to withdraw now would be to return Afghanistan and its people to suffer alone under the Taliban. And, importantly, the sacrifice of 21 Australians would have been in vain. That is why I will never cut and run with my support for my people.

The troops themselves are the most worthy of consultation in this debate. Not only have I spoken broadly to our troops across the nation as I visited their bases or as I went on military training programs with them but I was fortunate enough to spend a week with them in Tarin Kowt, Kandahar and Al Minhad as part of the ADF parliamentary exchange program. I met with Australian Defence Force personnel, Australian Defence civilians and civilians who have joined the effort in Afghanistan. I listened to them speak firsthand about the pride they have in their achievements and the importance of their work. Their focus is on three things: training and mentoring the Afghan National Army in Oruzgan, strengthening the Afghan National Police and conducting operations to disrupt insurgent operations and supply routes. I quite often shared a brew at Poppy’s in Camp Holland while I listened to the troops speak with pride about the work they do and the real differences they make, which gave me an understanding that I could comprehend.

They know that they have contributed to the progress in Afghanistan’s development over the past nine years, which has seen a dramatic increase in school enrolments, from around one million in 2001, none of whom were girls, to over six million today, one-third of whom are girls, and a significant increase in the availability of basic health services, which were available to less than 10 per cent of the population under the former Taliban regime but are now extended to around 85 per cent of the people.

Our troops have contributed to the identification and management of over 39,000 community based infrastructure projects, such as wells, clinics, roads and schools, in over 22,000 communities throughout Afghanistan through the Afghanistan led Afghan National Solidarity Program, and to the rehabilitation of over 10,000 kilometres of rural roads, supporting the employment of hundreds of thousands of local workers through the National Rural Access Program.

We have helped to install democracy, which has seen two elections for the lower house of the parliament since 2001—and, importantly, around 27 per cent of the seats in the lower house, and one-sixth of the seats in the upper house, are reserved for female members. It is a democracy with significant powers, including the right to reject or approve draft laws, to hold votes of no confidence in a government minister and reject cabinet nominees.

The Afghanis now have a freedom of the press. People have access to over 400 print media publications, 150 FM radio stations and 26 television channels. They have a freedom to discuss publicly issues that were previously off limits, such as human rights abuses and women’s rights.

I would like to personally thank Major Jason Eltham for being our escort officer and providing such a strong insight into the operations of the battlefield. This week I have in the chamber in parliament, as a part of the Australian Defence Force Exchange Program, Captain Steven Towner from the 9th Force Support Unit. He, like many of his mates, saw action in Iraq, and we have discussed unabashed all aspects of service life.

I have also attended the funerals and ramp ceremonies. I have heard firsthand the pleas from families about the importance of honouring the legacy of these brave men by continuing to support their comrades in the work they do towards a free and democratic Afghanistan. I have met some of those men who have lost their lives. I have sat with their families and their friends at funerals. My opinions are therefore based not only on some moral conviction of right or wrong but also on real people.

The very nature of war is struggle, and a war is never going to be simple. It is never going to be innocent; it is never going to be black or white. This war is not just about establishing democracy in Afghanistan. It is about training Afghan security forces to take control of their own country. It is about closing a terrorist breeding ground. It is about sending a message to terrorists that they are not welcome in this country. Prevention is better than cure. A free and democratic Afghanistan is the means by which a rattled but determined and cunning enemy is prevented from starting its rebuilding process. As Major General John Cantwell said recently:

It’s not the time to get the wobbles, it’s not the time to lose faith, it’s not the time to forsake the loss and the sacrifice and expense and the heartache that’s gone into Afghanistan.

Sadly, injury and loss of life is a part of war, and significant sacrifices have been made. In total, more than 150 Australian soldiers have been wounded since Operation Slipper began, and tragically 21 have been killed in action. We need to remember all of them.

We need to remember their sacrifices: Special Air Service Regiment Sergeant Andrew Russell, a victim of mine detonation in the southern province of Kandahar, killed in action, 16 February 2002; Trooper David ‘Poppy’ Pearce, killed when his ASLAV was struck by an improvised explosive device, 9 October 2007; Sergeant Mathew Locke, from the Special Air Service Regiment, killed by Taliban small arms fire, 25 October 2007; Private Luke Worsley, from 4RAR commando unit, killed in battle with Taliban fighters in Oruzgan province on 23 November 2007; Lance Corporal Jason Marks, 4RAR commando unit, killed in a battle with Taliban fighters in Oruzgan province on 27 April 2008; Signaller Sean McCarthy, from the Special Air Service Regiment, killed after being wounded by an improvised explosive device, 8 July 2008; Lieutenant Michael Fussell, from the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, killed by an improvised explosive device in Oruzgan province on 27 November 2008; Private Gregory Michael Sher, from the 1st Commando Regiment, killed as a result of an indirect rocket attack in Oruzgan province, 4 January 2009; Corporal Mathew Hopkins, a member of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force, killed in a fire fight with the Taliban near Tarin Kowt, 16 March 2009; Sergeant Brett Till, from the Incident Response Regiment, killed while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device on 19 March 2009; Private Benjamin Ranaudo, killed when a bomb went off as he and a fellow soldier searched a compound north of Tarin Kowt, 19 July 2009; Sapper Jacob Moerland, of 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in Oruzgan province on 7 June 2010; Sapper Darren Smith, of the same unit, killed by an improvised explosive device on 7 June 2010; Private Benjamin Chuck, Private Timothy Aplin and Private Scott Palmer, all from 2nd Commando Regiment, killed when the helicopter they were in crashed on its way to the mission south of the Australian base at Tarin Kowt on 21 June 2010; Private Nathan Bewes, from 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Chora Valley region of Oruzgan province on 9 July 2010; Trooper Jason Thomas Brown, from the Special Air Service Regiment, killed after being shot during an engagement with insurgents on 14 August 2010; Private Thomas Dale and Private Grant Kirby, from 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Baluchi Valley, 20 August 2010; and finally—and hopefully the last; let it never happen again—Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, 6th Battalion, killed during an intense firefight with Taliban insurgents in the Deh Rawud region, 24 August 2010.

I sincerely pray that no more names are to be added to that list. As repeated to me by their families, please do not let their sacrifice be in vain. There is more to be done. We must not cut and run. We must honour that sacrifice. But, importantly, we must finish the job we set out to do.

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