Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wright for this very serious question because atrocities in Iraq and Syria continue unabated. Two days ago there were further reports that the terrorist organisation Daesh is using chemical weapons—this time mustard gas—in attacks on Kurdish forces in Syria. Systemic raping of women and enslaving of children continues, as does Daesh's killing spree and forced conversion of members of religious minorities. There are now more than 20,000 terrorist foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, including around 120 Australians. Australian extremists have been exploited by Daesh for propaganda and recruitment purposes but are now also linked to planning terrorist plots in Australia. Reports that Australian foreign fighters are serving with Daesh's English-speaking unit—the so-called Anwar al-Awlaki brigade—to orchestrate attacks on home soil are deeply disturbing. We make no mistake about this—this conflict poses a direct threat to Australia and its people.

The Syrian government itself has perpetrated awful attacks against its own citizens overnight. Regime airstrikes against a market outside Damascus reportedly killed over 80 Syrian civilians. This is militarily, politically and strategically a complex theatre of war and it is important that Australia presents a united front for these terrorist organisations otherwise they will exploit any divisions within Australia. That is why I was shocked to learn that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has broken ranks and is now attacking government policy on the fight against terrorism—in fact, she has had a go at the Leader of the Opposition on the way through. The member for Sydney—

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