David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

What is unfolding in the Middle East is complex, dangerous and deeply uncertain. But amid that complexity one thing should remain clear: the lives of innocent civilians must always come first. In the lead-up to the crisis, we saw a brutal crackdown by the Iranian regime on protesters demanding basic freedoms. Thousands took to the streets, and many were killed. Communications blackouts followed, leaving families around the world desperately trying to understand what was happening to their loved ones.

For Iranian Australians, including many here in Canberra, the uncertainty has been agonising. It was in this context that many in the Australian Iranian community reached out with a sense of relief about the death of the former ayatollah Ali Khamenei after US and Israeli strikes. We need to be clear this was the death of a terrible leader who was responsible for the deaths of huge numbers of innocent civilians—tens of thousands of Iranians. At the same time, many Australians hold concerns about the legality of the military action by the US and Israel and about Australia's response, deep uncertainty about what comes next, fears of escalation and concerns for family and friends across the region. My sense is that many Australians want to see civilians protected but are concerned that our country will be drawn into another long-running offensive war in the region.

It's important for me to understand the views of the community I represent here in the ACT, so I'm running a short community survey to ensure I can best represent the views of Canberrans on this difficult issue. So far the responses show real concerns about Australia being drawn into an ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Many Australians both acknowledge the complexity of global geopolitics at the moment—the heightened tension—and are concerned about the perceived lack of sovereignty and the subservience to the US, particularly at a time when we have a president like President Trump in charge in the United States of America. One constituent told me, 'We should not support the US in its aggressive campaign.' Many have echoed this thinking, with another saying, 'Australia needs to ensure we are not drawn into actively supporting US aggression.' Others urge further collaboration and working within international rules based order—'Australia should act through the United Nations.' For a country like Australia, a middle power, international law and the rules based order matter. They are the foundations of the stability that has underpinned decades of relative peace.

In this context, I am concerned about reports that Australia is edging further into this war. This morning, the government refused to say if the wedgetail plane that has been sent to the region can protect itself or will require protection. At moments like this, democratic oversight really matters. Members of the crossbench, who are a significant and growing part of this parliament, are excluded from the key defence and national security committees. That means parliamentary scrutiny of these decisions is limited at precisely the moment that it matters most. Australians expect our parliament to do this, starting with crossbench representation on committees like the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence. Above all, we must never lose sight of the devastating human cost of war. Reports, including those of the deaths of young female students after a school was struck by attacks from the United States and Israel, are particularly troubling, and they do deserve scrutiny. They deserve the attention of our leaders.

My thoughts are with those in Iran, with Australians who have family and friends across the region and with those currently stranded in gulf states, and my thoughts are also with the Australian service men and women deployed to the region. We may not agree with the deployment, but we thank you for your service. Every one of us in this chamber hopes you return home safely.

I would also like to say that I think this is a time to be reaching out to veterans in the community and checking in on them. This will be an incredibly difficult time for many in that community. They have seen this happen before, and they know the potential consequences.