Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (17:22): I would like to first thank the Minister for Defence for his statement on this issue today. I also stand to speak strongly in support of the government’s position as I believe that this is both a humanitarian emergency and also a national security threat that we cannot ignore. I would also like to acknowledge the opposition for their bipartisan approach on this important issue.

I have noted that the Australian government strongly condemns the actions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant—ISIL—and in particular reports of atrocities against civilians including minorities and security force opponents. I firmly believe that ISIL’s activities in Syria and Iraq are a major threat to regional and international security as acknowledged by previous speakers on both sides of the chamber. I agree with the Prime Minister that many Australians are understandably apprehensive about the risk of becoming involved in another long and costly conflict in the Middle East, but I also acknowledge that there is no greater responsibility for any federal government than national security and defence, and that is the safety and security of all Australians. I know firsthand that any actions taken by the government are taken with great care, deliberation and caution.

Despite the previous speaker’s comments, these are not taken lightly or on a frolic of their own by an ideologically driven government. I believe that gone are the days when defence and national security threats were clearly identifiable at our physical borders. With globalisation and free movements across borders, the threats are much harder to identify and much harder to combat. Doing anything involves serious risks and weighty consequences, but doing nothing involves risks and consequences also. As Australians, whether you were holidaying in Bali, whether you were working in the World Trade Centre or whether you were flying home from Europe on a family holiday, the threats today are very real and do go well beyond our borders.

Just as the threats are very real, so are the humanitarian consequences of what is currently occurring in Iraq and Syria. I believe there is no question that it is now a humanitarian crisis in Iraq on a grave scale—one that I personally believe we cannot morally turn our backs on. Appeasement and turning a blind eye are not options. Terrorists do not respect weakness. They do not respect our compassion and, as we can now see yet again, they are ruthlessly exploiting it. I think the rapid escalation of events clearly demonstrates that they are and are willing to keep on no matter what is said by the previous speaker. I believe without question that doing nothing means leaving millions of people exposed to death, forced conversion or ethnic cleansing, and I believe evidence of all of those is now apparent.

ISIL and other opposition groups have maintained pressure on government forces to the north, north-east and west of Baghdad and have now pushed into Kurdish areas, with ISIL now in control of a number of towns and cities. This has caused the current humanitarian crisis, which was acknowledged clearly by the United Nations when on 14 August they declared a level-3 emergency for Iraq so that they could facilitate mobilisation of additional resources in goods, funds and assets. This is not something that the government has made up. This is something that the United Nations has acknowledged is a very clear current humanitarian threat.

So far this year it is believed that over a million Iraqis have been driven from their homes and that up to 1.8 million are now internally displaced people in Iraq, with over 600,000 displaced in August alone following an upsurge of violence in various parts of the country. I agree with the Prime Minister, who said today that it is important to do what we reasonably can do to prevent this genocide. I also acknowledge that there are no easy ways of achieving this, but it does not mean that we should not try just because it is not within our physical borders here in Australia. I believe we have a moral responsibility to do what we reasonably can. We have all seen the truth of what is going on on our screens and on social media. We have seen the beheadings, the crucifixions and the mass executions. People and cultures that have existed for millennia have been faced with extermination. Thousands of women have been forced into sexual slavery. We should not call this horrendous movement even by ‘Islamic State’. I do not believe it is a state as we would define it; it really is a cult or, as it was described today, a death cult. So in good conscience I do not believe that Australia can leave the Iraqi people to face this horror, this evil alone or turn our backs on their request—and, Senator Whish-Wilson, we are not doing this unilaterally; the Iraqi government has asked for our help in the humanitarian aspects.

The threat to Australia and Australians from these conflicts is, as I see it, real and growing. I know it is not just a humanitarian crisis; there is a real national security threat to Australians both here and overseas. This is because of the serious concern that a growing number of Australians are travelling to Syria and Iraq to support, get involved with and participate in the fighting. Alarmingly, the number of Australians involved in Iraq and Syria is significantly higher than in previous foreign conflicts such as Afghanistan. There is no question that Australian citizens, including dual nationals, are currently fighting overseas in Iraq and Syria and may return home to Australia. At least 60 Australians have been identified by our intelligence agencies as currently fighting in Iraq and Syria, and up to 150 Australians are under investigation in connection with this conflict. Many are travelling to join the particularly murderous terrorist group now calling itself the Islamic state or, as we have said, ISIL. ISIL has been listed as a terrorist organisation under the Australian Criminal Code, which imposes strong penalties. But this is not just unilateral Australian action; this group has also been designated by the United Nations Security Council’s Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. It is not just the Australian government but also the United Nations that have recognised that this is a terrorist organisation.

This heightened threat to Australia requires very comprehensive and decisive action on behalf of the Australian government. Strong and comprehensive international engagement is required if we are to share information effectively and be able to count on other countries for cooperation in the case of terrorism and any terrorism related emergencies involving Australians here and overseas.

I have the utmost respect for our service men and women who are putting themselves in harm’s way in a variety of areas across the world. We ask a lot of our men and women in uniform. I know that they will carry out their duty with the highest level of professionalism and in doing so make Australia proud. I also know that the Australian government do not do this lightly; they do it because it is in our national interest to do so.