Page 1194 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 4 May 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
(4) support the Australian Federal Government and others in their provision of equipment to enable Ukraine to defend their people.
It genuinely upsets and disappoints me that I feel the need to move this motion today. I am calling for this Assembly to do something quite simple; that is, to affirm its support for Canberra’s defence industry sector and support the Australian federal government and others in their provision of equipment to enable Ukraine to defend their people.
Sadly, there are thousands of Canberrans who work for the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force, who work in the defence industry and who work at the Australian War Memorial who deserve to know that we are on their side and that the attack on them in this place by a government member is unwarranted.
The people of Ukraine need to know that we remain on their side and that the support that we all offered them in a motion only recently in this place was not empty words. We will not seek to cut their lifeline of Australian and Western military equipment.
Only recently, this Assembly refused to condemn a proposal to cut the ADF in half, which would cause massive job losses in Canberra and leave Australia defenceless. Since then the Greens, members of this government, have doubled down in this place, accusing the War Memorial of having dark elements and accusing a local defence industry organisation of encouraging wars. In fact, to quote Ms Clay, in her recent speech she accused members of the defence industry of “fanning the flames of war” and “predisposing us to more wars that might otherwise have been prevented”.
We are witnessing firsthand the horrors of war as it unfolds in Ukraine, a peaceful country that has been invaded by an aggressive neighbour because Russia thought Ukraine would be weak. But the people of Ukraine have fought back, and there are two key contributors to their brave fight. The first, as we have all acknowledged, is the incredible bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people. The second is the military equipment that they are using to defend themselves which is being provided by the West, including Australia and Canberra-based companies.
Significant in that brave fight is the equipment that has been built and provided by the company on which the Greens launched their extraordinarily vitriolic and disgusting attack. The weapon that has played such a significant role in saving the people of Ukraine from murder, rape and destruction is the Javelin missile, manufactured by the very company that the Greens demonised and vilified in this place.
The people of Ukraine are praising that piece of equipment. They are eternally grateful. The only people angry with the Western defence industry and the manufacturer of the Javelin are the Greens and Vladimir Putin. Just do some basic research, and you will find out how significant that system has been in the defence of Ukraine. Let me quote from a few headlines: “We will speak softly and carry a large Javelin, Biden says”; “Putin is angry: Ukraine is getting thousands of Javelin and stinger missiles”; and “US Javelin Missile system plays a key role in Ukraine’s defence”.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video