Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I too wish to make a brief statement of no longer than two minutes. I think one thing we can all agree on in this chamber is that we all support and pray for peace in our time. No-one has a mortgage on that aspiration. However, the coalition does join with Senator Farrell in relation to his comments as they relate to our situation in Afghanistan, so I do not need to delay by repeating those comments except to say that we agree.

Another theatre of war is currently in Libya. Of course, we know that Colonel Gaddafi's troops are on the retreat. They are being pressed hard. They would want nothing more than a day of peace to regroup to ensure that they cannot be defeated. The wording of the motion includes 'unless provoked to do so in self-defence'. Those liberation fighters who are seeking to press the advantage as we speak would be required to withhold for a whole day, which of course would have given an inappropriate advantage to the evil Gaddafi regime.

That is another example that echoes and builds on that which Senator Farrell so properly put to the chamber. So we as a coalition do support the sentiments and comments of the government in relation to this; that it in no way detracts from Labor's commitment or the coalition's commitment to peace in our time.