John Watson (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I inform the Senate that the President has received the following letter, dated 6 December 2006, from Senator Allison:

Dear Mr President,

Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move—‘That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The need for the Australian Government to develop its own plan to withdraw all Australian troops not involved in personal security roles from Iraq as soon as practicable, given that:

(a)

The March 2003 invasion of Iraq and Mr Bush’s 2005 ‘Victory in Iraq’ strategy paper has demonstrably failed and, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, former United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and former Iraqi Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi, have all said, Iraq has descended into civil war;

(b)

The Bush Administration-appointed Iraq Study Group report, due 6 December 2006, is tipped to recommend that the United States begins a phased withdrawal of combat brigades in Iraq, starting in 2007 and ending in 2008;

(c)

The United Kingdom announced its intentions to hand over security in Basra in 2007;

(d)

A poll by the University of Maryland found 71 per cent of Iraqis now want the United States out of Iraq; and

(e)

Former US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, suggested that the United States should consider an accelerated draw down of bases.’

Yours sincerely

Lyn Allison

Senator for Victoria

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—