Mr BRUCE SCOTT (12:34 PM) —I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate about our involvement in Afghanistan. The debate is timely as not only has the operation changed since our original involvement commenced in 2001, following the terrorist attacks in New York that year, but the politics have changed as well. Our current commitment to the operation in Afghanistan is our largest current troop commitment. It is our job to question the government to ensure not only that our troops are supported in the operation but also that there is sufficient budgetary appropriation to provide whatever is required by our commanders and advisers in the Department of Defence so that our troops are not let down by a lack of resources for the mission.

We have a right to question. I am not here to criticise; I am here to question the government so that the Australian public can have confidence that our troops are getting the support they need from their government. The people of Australia want to know that. That is why I welcome the statement by the Prime Minister and the opportunity to talk openly in the parliament about our commitment to the operation in Afghanistan.

I acknowledge and admire the professionalism of our troops because they operate in the time-honoured way of our history. They are like the Anzacs of long ago; they are our Anzacs of today. They rank amongst the best soldiers in the world. They are professional, they are good at their job and they are dedicated. It is not sufficient to just support the troops; we must support the objectives of the operation. The coalition has always supported the troops and the operation.

I had the opportunity as chairman of the Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to go to Afghanistan in 2002, under Operation Enduring Freedom. We went to the Bagram air base in Afghanistan. The night before, we went to Kyrgyzstan and saw the pilots and those involved in the air operation. It was with great pride that I was able to be there and see the men and women who formed part of that operation. Under the same chairmanship role, I was able to go to Iraq in 2005 and go on patrol with our troops out of Al Muthana province and then on into Baghdad. It is worth recording that whilst we were in Iraq the referendum that had been conducted saw the people of Iraq determine their own constitution which requires that the parliament in Baghdad must include 25 per cent women members. That is a far cry from the situation that existed under Saddam Hussein. I put that on the record because I have been to see where our troops have operated. Not only have I seen the environment; I spent a night in the desert with them and I went on patrol with them, and I have seen the terrain where they operate.

Mr Fitzgibbon —And they survived!

Mr BRUCE SCOTT —I know the former defence minister would have done that too. It is important as members of this parliament who commit our troops to operations such as this in Afghanistan that we see where they operate. I know how much the troops appreciate a parliamentary delegation seeing them and their operations. They operate so professionally and with great pride, and they do the job that the government have asked of them.

Let us remind ourselves of that horrific day for the world on September 11 2001 when terrorists attacked the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, and of those fearless passengers on flight 93 who prevented the fourth plane from crashing into the US congress in Washington. Almost 3,000 innocent people died on that one day. A year later, in 2002, our country lost 88 Australians in the terrorist attacks in Kuta, Bali—202 people in total were killed from three bombs on that day. Five years ago, 52 people from all walks of life were killed and around 700 people were injured when four suicide bombers linked to al-Qaeda detonated bombs on London’s underground and on a double-decker bus in London.

All three attacks have been linked to extremist Islamic groups, particularly al-Qaeda and Jamaat-i-Islami. My memories of that horrible day in September 2001 are very vivid because the defence minister at the time, Peter Reith, was overseas and, as defence personnel minister and veterans’ affairs minister, I was acting defence minister that day—it was that evening that the news came through. It was an event that shocked the world and which would unite like-minded countries in ensuring that something like this would never happen again, and that those responsible would be brought to justice.

The operation in Afghanistan was established under the United Nations Security Council resolution 1386 in December 2001. It is a NATO-led security mission and it is reaffirmed by the United Nations each year. Let us also remember that the United Nations was established after World War II to ensure that atrocities carried out by Hitler would never occur again. I underline that to remind us all of the important role the United Nations plays in bringing like-minded countries together in a resolution to deal with atrocities and to make sure that the world can live more peacefully. Australia is part of a global coalition participating in an operation that is approved by the United Nations and NATO. Our involvement in Afghanistan is directly linked to our national security interests because we are a member of a global society. The Australians who died in Bali, the Australian who died in London and the Australians who died in New York on September 11 2001 prove to us that we are truly living in one global community.

Since Australia’s first involvement in an international conflict in 1885, Australia has lost 102,808 Australians. Their names are forever inscribed on the roll of honour at the Australian War Memorial. Sadly, 21 names of young men who fought in Afghanistan have been added to that roll. They made the ultimate sacrifice. Our parliament and the Australian people should never forget what has been lost to make our country the strong democracy that it is today and we should never forget the people we have lost in our quest to help other nations achieve what we in Australia take for granted. Our thoughts on this day in this parliament are with the families particularly of those 21 brave Australian soldiers, as we discuss the war in Afghanistan. It is important that we remember them. Let us also remember the 152 men who have been seriously wounded. It is our responsibility to ensure that the government provides the necessary support that they need for their complete recovery from their wounds.

These men did not die in vain and we should take the opportunity to remind the Australian people about the success and the progress that has been made. So often the media concentrate on the tragedies—and it is important to report the mistakes and the failures of war—and recently we have learnt that three Australian troops have been charged with manslaughter, dangerous conduct, failure to comply with a lawful general order and prejudicial conduct after a night-time incident in which six Afghani civilians were unfortunately killed. I have received a number of calls from my constituents concerned about this incident and I have explained to them that the troops were in a very intense battle with the Taliban. The Afghanistan conflict is being fought in a very harsh environment where it is not readily apparent who the enemy is and where the insurgents do not fight under our very detailed rules of engagement. They place very little value on human life and often use innocent civilians as human shields. The opposition respects the decision of the independent Director of Military Prosecutions to charge the three soldiers and to let them have their day in court. But there have been concerns raised with me by my constituents that this is unprecedented and perhaps could have serious ramifications for our troops in the battles ahead.

We must also remember the good that is being done in Afghanistan. Progress is being made. Our troops have been involved in a number of infrastructure projects which have helped to improve the health and education of those in Tarin Kowt. We have helped build a waste management facility for the community. We have also helped to redevelop the Tarin Kowt boys primary school, which now has a new 35-classroom building. The boys high school has received an upgrade with new classrooms, and we have been involved in the construction of a girls school. A health centre has been developed which includes separate male and female clinics. Thirty shops have been constructed in the Sorkh Morghab bazaar development. We have helped build the Kowtwal Crossing, which is an all-weather crossing over the Tiri Rud River. And we have trained 1,200 Afghani males through our trades training school. That is significant progress in making sure there are employment opportunities and that young girls, in particular, are now able to go to school and, over time, participate in their communities as we see women participate in our own communities and in so many other Western democracies.

We should not withdraw our troops from Afghanistan until the job is done. That is the Australian way. I am reminded also of our latest rotation into East Timor. We will not withdraw from East Timor until the job is done, we did not withdraw from Bougainville until the job was done, and we should not withdraw from Afghanistan until this job is done. We are operating under a UN mandate in partnership with 47 other nations. The ANZUS treaty, which we signed in 1951, after World War II, has been called into play.

The mission is achievable and we will achieve the objectives. The next two to four years will see military transition to the Afghan 4th Brigade and a growth in the civilian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team. The operation in Afghanistan is working and certainly worthwhile. We must stay the course. That is why I welcome the debate and welcome the statement made by the Prime Minister. In her address she said that she will make a statement in this parliament each year that our involvement in Afghanistan continues, and that will certainly allow members of parliament and the people in the constituencies we represent to have their say and to continue to monitor the progress and success that we all hope and pray for in Afghanistan. Importantly, it will demonstrate to the Australian people that the parliament supports not only the operation in Afghanistan but also the troops and their families who wait back here at home for their safe return.