House debates
Monday, 23 August 2021
Questions without Notice
Afghanistan
2:55 pm
Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
[by video link] My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister was warned repeatedly by veterans and by former prime ministers that time was running out to evacuate Afghans who worked with the Australian Defence Force. The Prime Minister failed to act early enough and has now been forced to admit that people will be left behind. Why won't the Prime Minister take responsibility for this failure?
2:56 pm
Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I completely and utterly reject the assertion made by the member—absolutely! And I thank every Australian who, for these past eight years—and, particularly, in these past six to eight months—have been doing the work to actually bring people here to this country: 430 people resettled since April alone and 1,900 over these many years.
I must admit I find it disappointing that on a day such as this, when we're supposed to come together, that even on this matter politics knows no bounds with those opposite. It knows no bounds in the suggestion that has been made by the member. This government has been working steadfastly, consistently and urgently for years to bring people out of Afghanistan, and we continue to do that now. I reject absolutely any suggestion that the government has not been seeking to do that. I can only ascribe to that member, in putting that forward, a motive that is not fitting of this day.