Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again to the Prime Minister and refers to his answer to my previous question. I refer also to the Prime Minister’s continued affirmation of his statement yesterday that the Democratic Party was al-Qaeda’s preferred party to win the next US presidential elections. Can the Prime Minister explain how his statement about the Democratic Party being al-Qaeda’s party of choice will in any way help Australia’s national interests when Democratic legislators, who now control the House and the Senate in the US, sit down to draft the next US farm bill, which directly impacts the interests of the Australian farm sector?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have told the Leader of the Opposition in reply to other questions, and I am very happy to say it again, that the central issue here is the consequences of an American defeat in Iraq. If America is defeated in Iraq, the setback will be for the cause of the West not only in the Middle East but also in our part of the world. I remain critical of any policy espoused by any individual—and I was talking yesterday about an individual—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister has the call.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Gillard interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is warned.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that is going to encourage the view that the United States will pull out precipitately of Iraq. My criticism of the Leader of the Opposition is that if it is all right for Australia to leave precipitately—although he is now saying he will not leave our ally in the lurch immediately; he will still leave them in the lurch but he will not leave them in the lurch immediately—then why isn’t it all right for the Americans, why isn’t it all right for the British? That is what is at stake here. If it is all right for us to go, it is all right for them to go, and if we go precipitately then that is an unbelievable setback for the West. It is a setback for the Western cause in the Middle East, and it will give great encouragement and succour to the terrorists not only in that region but also in our part of the world. Now, that goes to our national interest and that is why I will not in any way resile from criticising statements that I believe are contrary to that national interest.