Mr HENRY (3:31 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister update the House on what assistance Australia is providing to support this month’s elections in Iraq and, more broadly, democracy in that country? Is he aware of any alternative views?

Mr DOWNER (Minister for Foreign Affairs) —I thank the honourable member for Hasluck very much for the question and say how much I appreciate the interest of the member in serious issues. The Iraqis will be going to the polls, as many members on this side know, on 15 December to elect a new national assembly. There are 307 political entities registered for the election, contesting 275 seats. Given that it is a regionally based election, there are 230 seats which are divided amongst 18 governorates in proportion to the numbers registered in each province. So the results are likely to be different—for a number of reasons—from the results of the election which was held back on 30 January, which was a whole-of-nation election.

Honourable members on this side of the House will be pleased to hear that 15½ million Iraqis have registered to vote in these elections. Australia, as I mentioned last week, is providing support for that democratic process, including for out-of-country voting for Iraqis who reside here in Australia. That includes providing an electoral adviser. It is expected that the 11,000 people in Australia who are eligible to vote in Iraq will vote, so the voting here in Australia is not insignificant. There will be new polling centres in Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane in addition to the ones in Sydney and Melbourne which were previously provided. It is another illustration of the very strong commitment the government has to democracy in Iraq and to ensuring that that country is able to achieve, in the long term, a peaceful, democratic and free future. Likewise, we have taken the same view with Afghanistan.

Are there any alternatives? The alternative to the policy that we are pursuing in relation to Iraq is the 31st policy that has been put forward by the Leader of the Opposition. In an interview with Mike Carlton, the interviewer of choice for the Labor Party, the Leader of the Opposition said that the government should withdraw our troops from Iraq—very much a reflection of what his predecessor said. The point is the Labor Party believes that we should have troops in Afghanistan in order to support the evolving democracy in that country—and I agree with that, of course—but the Labor Party does not believe we should keep troops in Iraq to support the emerging democracy and to get the terrorists in that country. If anyone can work out the logic of that—

Mr Rudd —Mr Speaker, on a point of order: the question the minister was asked was about the—

Mr Howard interjecting—

Mr Rudd —It is, Prime Minister.

The SPEAKER —Order! The member for Griffith has the call.

Mr Rudd —I listened very carefully to this. The question to the minister was about the Iraqi electoral process and alternative views on it. Nothing that the minister is talking about now goes to that. Could you ask Saddam’s best little mate to get back to the question?

The SPEAKER —The member for Griffith will withdraw that last comment.

Mr Rudd —Withdrawn, Mr Speaker.

Mr DOWNER —If the Labor Party had its way, Saddam would be still in power—he would still be there—so I am not sure who his mate is. I conclude with this point: if anyone on this side of the House can work out the logic of supporting democracy and fighting terrorism in Afghanistan but wanting to cut and run in Iraq, I would like to know what it is. But I will tell you what, Mr Speaker: it has got quite a lot to do with the fact that, in the candidates surveyed by the ANU, 40 per cent of Labor Party people—and only 40 per cent—thought the American alliance was important.