David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

On behalf of the opposition, I want to extend our thanks to Minister Faulkner for his assessment of and elaboration and report on what is occurring with our operation in Afghanistan. This is a very important matter for this parliament and indeed for the Senate. There is absolutely no politics in this issue of public policy at all—there should not be and there will not be. The opposition is very determinedly committed to supporting the government in succeeding in this operation in Afghanistan. There is certainly no suggestion whatsoever that we are undertaking this operation in any way that is adverse to our objectives and our intentions. The McChrystal doctrine is a very good one. It is a turning point and I am very keen for the President of the United States to adopt the recommendations of General McChrystal.

Our contribution of 1,550 troops, which must be multiplied by three to get 4,500, is our most significant contribution since Vietnam. The 23,000 soldiers in the Royal Australian Army are a small contingent relative to the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. This commitment of ours is a very significant one and I want to pause to put it in context. Recently, while coming back from NATO, I had the opportunity to speak to the Dutch parliamentary delegation to the NATO convention. They were a very fine group of people. We paused to thank them for the trust, the contribution and the success that we have had in Oruzgan province under their command. Unfortunately, the political situation in their country is such that, whilst they will continue to make a strong contribution to Afghanistan, it will not be in the same form as it now appears in Tarin Kowt and Oruzgan province. We are very sad about that because they have been a very successful partner in what is the very dangerous and very difficult business of trying to secure this part of the world.

The McChrystal doctrine is about, firstly, engaging and securing the people of Afghanistan and giving them the confidence to go about their business and to see that the rule of law prevails. The second part is to secure them through the enhancement of the Afghan National Police force and the Afghan National Army. Australia is leading the way in training and promoting. Indeed, we are paying $250 million towards getting that contingent to a capacity and a capability that will endure to provide long-term security for the people of this country. Lastly, the operation is to secure Afghanistan in its region geographically.

In closing, I want to acknowledge the sacrifice that has been made by 11 very brave young Australians on the field of battle in Afghanistan. We are thinking of them and their families and their friends at this time of the year. I also want to acknowledge the 90 people who have been seriously wounded, in particular those with eardrum damage from IEDs. I commend the government for undertaking the IED task force and participating with the United States and the United Kingdom, as they have done. This is a particularly difficult mission. Pakistan on one border is also of considerable concern to us. In thanking the minister for his report today, I urge him to keep giving us these reports; they are very valuable. We support the government in every way possible in this very difficult mission.