Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

It is our view that our troops in Iraq, as modest as our commitment is, are continuing to make a significant contribution to Iraq’s rehabilitation and reconstruction. They are working very well in southern Iraq in particular to help the Iraqi people restore democracy, peace and freedom to the country. It is the government’s strong view that to do what the Labor Party apparently wants to do—to just cut and run; to leave immediately—would be absolutely disastrous and would be absolutely the wrong thing to do. We are not going to do that. We are not going to simply abandon the Iraqi people at this time. We do not think that is what the Iraqi people want. The Iraqi people desperately want our help and the help of the United States, Britain, Japan and other forces which are there to assist the Iraqi people in their time of need. We are not going to abandon them at the time that they need us. That would be to hand the terrorists a huge victory, which we are simply not going to do.