Mr BEAZLEY (Leader of the Opposition) (2:05 PM) —by leave—Mr Speaker, September 11 is etched in the memory of everybody in this chamber and, I would say, just about all Australians, as indeed it is etched in the memory now of all Americans. The world witnessed the shocking sight of two of the world’s best known buildings collapsing after a vicious assault and the sight of the Pentagon—the headquarters of US military might—on fire. It introduced the rest of the world to bin Laden’s cult of death and evil—a stance in global politics which has since launched a substantial struggle between those of us who support a world in which tolerance, respect for each other’s views and respect for each other as individuals hold sway as opposed to those who would interpret a religious position in a way that enslaves. This is a struggle which simply must be won.

Our thoughts go to the families of those Americans who lost their lives. Family members have been at various commemorations around the country, reinspiring their fellow Americans and the world’s citizens with their courage and their resilience. My thoughts go in particular to the 15 Australians who lost their lives. Among them was Yvonne Kennedy, a widow with two sons from Westmead, who had retired from the Red Cross after 25 years of service and was on her retirement holiday. Those of us in the Labor Party in particular remember Andrew Knox, an industrial advocate, who had been at some point in time a Labor Party organiser. He was working on the 103rd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. For Leanne Whiteside of Melbourne it was her second day on the job working for an insurance company. Alberto Dominguez was a retired Qantas baggage handler of 21 years service and a very prominent member of the Australian Spanish community. Leslie Thomas from the New South Wales Central Coast was working in New York as an options trader for Cantor Fitzgerald, a company that lost 700 employees on September 11.

We also, of course, recollect the other atrocity since that time: our own version of September 11 which occurred with the death of 88 Australians in the Bali bombing a year or so after the shock of September 11. It is a world, as I said earlier, that has changed very substantially. New burdens come on governments; new burdens come on societies. The conflict that we now confront is a challenge to our morale and it is a challenge to our internal strength. Also, a challenge to our intelligence is our capacity to really understand the terms and conditions of victory here and what sort of relationships we need with communities that are also directly threatened by bin Laden’s cult of death and evil, in particular the Islamic community. What do we say to the Islamic community? What do we expect of our fellow Australians who are Muslims? What is the most effective way we can support those moderate Muslim governments and societies that are also under direct challenge from bin Laden? These are tests. We are not always doing as well in these tests as we might. We have had some victories in the struggle that has taken place in the last four years, but they have not all been victories. We are not necessarily coming out as we should in terms of victory in each of the phases that the conflict has taken. We have to do better. It is appalling that bin Laden, four years on, is still at liberty. He should by now have been caught or taken out of the struggle; it is not adequate that he is still there.

It is important that we support those forces in Afghanistan in particular who find themselves at the vortex of this struggle. It is important that we accept our responsibilities in the region around us and in the region at home. By now our defences should be complete, four years on, and yet there are many practical measures which we have identified over the past few months that really should by now have been undertaken by Australian governments. We urge the Australian government to look at the suggestions we have made. We hold high hopes for the conference that will take place between the Prime Minister and the premiers in a couple of weeks from now, but those hopes will not be realised unless the breadth of all the defences that we need in the struggle with terrorism are considered and plans that would complete the task of organising those defences are put in place. We urge the government to make sure that the agenda is broad enough to handle that.

Finally, again, we extend our deepest condolences from this parliament to all the people of all nationalities, but particularly those in the United States and our own, who suffered death and the dislocation and destruction of their family lives. We remember in particular those who died and we understand that their names will live in the minds and hearts of our communities forever.