Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes that nearly 100 Australian military personnel will be sent to the Middle East alongside military equipment that will be used to participate in the US and Israel's war with Iran, and that this decision to deploy military personnel has not been discussed by the Australian Parliament;

(2) rejects Labor's push to be part of another US-led war in the Middle East, which has already seen thousands of civilians injured and killed, and caused even greater insecurity and economic damage around the world and in Australia; and

(3) calls on the Government to immediately end support for the US and Israeli war with Iran, withdraw all Australian troops from the US military, prohibit the US from using Australian-based military assets, and not send any Australian troops to the region to participate in this illegal war.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Ryan moving the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes that nearly 100 Australian military personnel will be sent to the Middle East alongside military equipment that will be used to participate in the US and Israel's war with Iran, and that this decision to deploy military personnel has not been discussed by the Australian Parliament;

(2) rejects Labor's push to be part of another US-led war in the Middle East, which has already seen thousands of civilians injured and killed, and caused even greater insecurity and economic damage around the world and in Australia; and

(3) calls on the Government to immediately end support for the US and Israeli war with Iran, withdraw all Australian troops from the US military, prohibit the US from using Australian-based military assets, and not send any Australian troops to the region to participate in this illegal war.

The Prime Minister says we're only politically supporting the war. Then we hear that they're considering defensive aid. Now we hear Australian troops are being deployed—Australian aircraft, Australian missiles—for Trump and Netanyahu's war. When did they ask the Australian people or the Australian parliament? We should be debating this, which is why I'm moving this motion. Troops are troops. Deploying defensive troops to the Middle East is joining the US's war effort. Its effect will be to free up offensive capabilities for the US and for Israel.

If not now, when are we going to debate this in the parliament? Australian troops, Australian aircraft, Australian missiles—did the Prime Minister ask the Australian people? Did he ask if we ever wanted to get involved in another illegal US forever-war? Did they ask us if we wanted to deploy our troops, our aircraft and our missiles to support Donald Trump and Netanyahu's illegal war? Did they ask us if we thought putting Australian troops' lives at risk was worth it to support Trump and Netanyahu's illegal war—the war that started with the bombing of a primary school and the killing of 150 school children? No: the Prime Minister has just unilaterally committed us to this, seemingly after a 2 am phone call with Donald Trump.

What's worse is that his government has been lying to us, saying troops would not be deployed. And now, of course, we do have personnel deployed. We're putting the security of Australians back home here at risk by getting involved and making ourselves a target. We're taking the side of Trump and Netanyahu in their illegal war that is both costing human lives and causing economic shocks that will crush everyday people across the world.

Who benefits? Certainly not the Australian people—but one big beneficiary will be the gas companies that extract Australian gas for free without paying any royalties and export it overseas for massive profits. They will massively benefit from the price spikes after Qatar's gas operation went offline. But only their shareholders will see that benefit, not ordinary Australians—exactly what happened just a few short years ago when the Russia-Ukraine war saw energy bills for ordinary Australians skyrocket.

But what does the government do? Not put in a super profits tax to crack down on war profiteering; not unequivocally condemn the attacks—no, we're getting ourselves entrenched in this conflict, contributing to the prolonging of the war and escalating it, and it's making us all a target.

Will the Prime Minister jump to comply with Trump's next demand? First it was political support, then refuelling planes and now troops. What will his next demand be? The Australian people deserve to know.

I remember Vietnam: sold to the public as a defensive war. I remember Iraq: sold as necessary to prevent 'weapons of mass destruction' that turned out to not exist. Labor had the courage to oppose that war. Where is Labor's courage now?

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