Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition supports the continuing deployment of Australian forces in Afghanistan. Such actions focus on defeating the threat of terrorism at its source. I have in the past stated in this place that I support the role of our troops in Afghanistan. As an Australian I am grateful for their commitment and service to our country. With Christmas now only five weeks away it is important for all of us to spare a thought for our troops currently serving overseas, particularly those who will not be home with their families this festive season. Many military wives and partners have expressed to me the importance of showing support for our troops. This is seen as a means by which we honour and pay tribute to our soldiers. Our support to those families must be equally unconditional and we must provide to them as much support as they require.

Sadly, we must also remember the families and friends of the 32 brave Australian soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice since our troops commenced service in Afghanistan in 2001. These families celebrate the festive season with heavy hearts, but in some small way I hope the recognition generated from this House offers a degree of support and recognition for them at this time of the year. Additionally, it would be remiss of me not to mention the 213 brave members of our armed services who have been wounded as a result of action in Afghanistan and the families who struggle daily to deal with the ongoing impacts as a result of this war on terrorism.

My electorate has a significant military presence and I take great pride in representing these fine service personnel. I take every opportunity to visit and talk with our service men and women. I listen to their views and concerns, particularly in terms of our ongoing presence in Afghanistan. The consensus, at least in my electorate, is that our role within the Afghan theatre is of vital importance. Our troops tell me about the pride they feel and the value they see in maintaining our presence until the time is right to withdraw.

We as a nation train our troops to take on the roles of warrior and reformer in places outside our own borders. Afghanistan is one such place. Not willing to walk away when the going gets tough, our troops tell me of the importance they feel in applying the training and skills they have gained to overseas deployments. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the footy analogy on this particular issue: you are part of a footy team, you train hard, you develop skills, you learn to work as a team and you learn the game plan but you do not get the chance to play or you remain on the bench. That is why they say to me that it is really important that they go to Afghanistan. This is the same feeling many soldiers have about not being able to put their training to use in overseas deployments. Australian troops reflect the values of our great nation. The work they undertake is demanding and is conducted in dangerous circumstances. The countryside is harsh and inhospitable; the weather is much the same. The rules of engagement are limiting and the enemy resilient. I believe our defence forces are the most highly trained, highly skilled and highly committed and are highly dedicated to the task confronting them. We—and I include New Zealand—have the only defence forces who demonstrate the tenacity and spirit that we citizens outside of the military recognise and relate to: what we call the qualities of the digger and the ANZAC.

Afghanistan has long been a training ground for terrorism through the presence of terrorist training camps and providing a safe haven for terrorist leaders. Australian citizens have not escaped the reach of terrorism. Close to 100 Australians have been killed as a direct result of terrorist activities around the world directed from terrorist safe havens in the mountains of Afghanistan. Some of these attacks have been close to our shores, particularly my electorate of Solomon, including Bali in October 2002, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in September 2004, Jimbaran Bay and Kuta in Bali in October 2005, and the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel bombings in Jakarta in 2009. September 11 this year marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks in America which killed 2,977 people from 90 different nations. Eleven Australians lost their lives on that day. The anniversary was and continues to be a sober reminder of why our troops must remain in Afghanistan and why we must remain vigilant about international terrorism.

The coalition support strategies whereby, firstly, the joint forces stop Afghanistan from being a training ground and base for operations for al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations. Secondly, we support strategies to stabilise the Afghan state whereby Afghans can achieve self-determination. Achieving this goal will be through a combination of civil, police and military training for local Afghans.

Purely in terms of numbers, Australia's commitment to Afghanistan is modest at 1,550 troops in comparison to other countries. With responsibility for security in a province that has long been the heartland of the Taliban, our troops demonstrate the values of this great nation and have gained the respect of troops from other nations serving alongside them. Operating within Oruzgan province, mentoring the 4th Afghan brigade has been challenging and without incident. Sadly, though, several of our soldiers have paid with their lives the price of training local Afghans to take up responsibility for their own security and self-determination. Our troops willingly take on the task of helping to define a place where safety and security are paramount to its people, a place where reprisals and retaliation, and control by the Taliban and other criminal elements will become a thing of the past. In September 2010, General Petraeus, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan at the time, described the fight as:

… very difficult and sometimes—seeming to be as slow as, again, watching grass grow or paint dry. But nonetheless—progress.

I believe these words address the very essence of our troop deployment and their retention in Afghanistan. Australia undertook the role of providing troops in this conflict for the long term, with the goal of ensuring that when we pulled out we left things far better than they were when we went in. Our troops see this as the defining path of our deployment: the job is not complete until that goal is met. To take any other path would be to walk away. Australians—and in particular our Aussie diggers—do not walk away without completing the job. History repeats the story over and over and over again.

In short, our troops remain committed to their role. Our mission is yet to be fulfilled, but progress is being made. The way ahead is not clear in terms of a definable time line for our deployment to Afghanistan, but we do move slowly towards this goal. I support the retention of our troops in this conflict until such time as we reach and fulfil our goal—at which time we can withdraw and bring our troops home.

I reiterate the importance of recognising our troops and showing them that the people back home are well aware of the work they are doing and appreciate their efforts and commitment. As a small gesture of recognition in my own electorate I have been arranging through my office to send Christmas care packages to our troops currently serving overseas. The appreciation felt by those recipients last year was overwhelming. Many returning troops and families spoke about their gratitude for the small expression of thanks, often from complete strangers. Also, the small gifts—a touch of home—really hit a nerve and in some instances brought great joy to the local Afghan kids. I wish all the troops currently serving overseas a very safe Christmas and pray that the new year brings a speedy resolution to this ongoing deployment so that they may fulfil their obligations and return home safely.

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