Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan appears to have spent the summer in some sort of alternate dimension. For the idea that what has happened in the United States will not have flow-on consequences for Australia, 'absurd' is too gentle a word. This president is not just a problem for the United States and the millions of people who are already rallying in defence of their civil rights, their human rights and the rule of law. This president is a problem for the entire world and particularly for Australia because we are one of the United States government's most subservient allies. Notwithstanding the Iraq example which Senator Gallagher correctly pointed out, under at least the Howard government Australia simply outsourced its foreign policy to the United States government and tore apart the Middle East. So President Trump is a problem for Australia.

This is a president who has said in an offhand way, 'Maybe we should head back into Iraq and take their oil.' That places Australian service personnel in Iraq, Syria and Africa at risk. That kind of incredibly reckless offhand statement places Australians at risk. Australia participate in the Five Eyes surveillance network. We have installations such as the Pine Gap base and are involved in driftnet surveillance right across South-East Asia. We are involved in the targeting of nuclear weapons and in targeting the drone assassination program. Australia run cover in United Nations forums for US foreign policy, including the one-sided conflict between Israel and the people of Palestine. We host a US Marine Corps base in Australia, we host US aircraft bombers in northern Australia and we have facilities such as at Pine Gap and North West Cape. Our foreign and defence policy for decades has been paralysed in subservience to the United States government. The Australian Greens, as Senator Di Natale indicated, have been campaigning against that subservience for as long as we have been a political party.

But maybe now it is starting to dawn on some of those in the Labor Party and maybe we could even dare to hope on some of those in the Liberal Party that these are not normal times. President Trump has surrounded himself with neofascists not at the fringes but at the very heart of his administration. Washington sets Australian foreign policy. Are we happy to be dragged into a war with Iran? Are we happy to be dragged into a war with China in the South China Sea? Will these decisions be made in Canberra in this parliament, or will they be made in Washington, as they were in 2003 when we were given our marching orders for an illegal invasion of Iraq? We still have ADF personnel in that part of the world trying to clean up the hideous mess that Australia created. We have hundreds of service personnel in Afghanistan still trying to hold that region together after it was torn apart by George W Bush.

The little Trumps in this parliament are the ones who we probably need to keep the closest eye on. We heard from one of them not too long ago that there are sympathisers of white supremacy in this parliament, campaigning in the Australian community for white nationalism and white supremacy. These are not normal times. This is not a normal administration. This has to be brought to a head before we are dragged into a war not of Australia's choosing.

If this relationship is so deep and so trustworthy—and I believe in the past that it has been—then now is the time to stand up to our great and powerful ally and tell them, 'Enough is enough,' and for Australia to take its place as a middle power in the community of nations and stand up for the rule of law, human rights and an independent foreign policy. Otherwise we are going to find ourselves dragged into a situation, not of our making, but one in which everyone in this parliament would be deeply complicit.

So, Senator Canavan, I utterly reject the idea that what happened in the United States over the summer recess of this parliament has nothing to do with Australia. For better or worse, how could you possibly bring an opinion like that into this place? I suspect that the vast majority of people who elected you to this place would seriously disagree with that. The Greens believe that we need to draw a line and bring these issues to a head using every means possible in this parliament. We do not apologise for suspending standing orders—these issues need to be brought to a head.