David Jull (Fadden, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is directed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. What is the government’s reaction to the swearing in of the new government of Iraq and would the minister indicate if this reaction is agreed across the Australian political spectrum?

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

First, can I thank the honourable member for Fadden. I think all members of the House know of his interest in foreign affairs. Certainly he has followed this issue very closely. The government is very pleased to congratulate Iraq and the Prime Minister of Iraq particularly, Mr al-Maliki, on the formation of a new government. This is a momentous event for the people of Iraq to at long last have their own democratic government. In reality it is probably fair to say that it is the first genuinely democratic government Iraq has had since that country was created in 1922. So it is a momentous event. It is a triumph of democracy over the forces of terrorism and violence.

There was an expression of views by the overwhelming majority of the people of Iraq in their elections in December 2005. Something like 12 million people went out to vote in those elections. Although there are insurgents and terrorists trying to destroy that democracy and trying to destroy the wishes of those 12 million people—although there are people who want to sabotage the freedom of the people of Iraq—those people have shown the courage to vote and the politicians whom they elected have shown the courage to put together a government.

This is a government that brings together the different strands of the country—the Kurds, the Sunnis and the Shia. I think it demonstrates a point very clearly: that the leaders of Iraq do not want their country to break up, despite the fact that terrorists and insurgents do want it to break up. The terrorists and the insurgents are endeavouring to destroy the country. It is encouraging that the members of the parliament were able to agree on a government and the government will now be able to take that country forward.

There is no doubt that the new Iraqi government will face enormous challenges, but let them know that the government of Australia will certainly support them and will certainly support democracy in Iraq. We will not adopt the defeatist view of others, including the opposition, that it is much better just to abandon Iraq to the insurgents and terrorists and turn our backs on the 12 million people who went out and voted in that country. I think that is the wrong thing to do. This government may be a lot of things, but this government will never be called ‘defeatist’.