Page 36 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 1991
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The extent to which it has failed is demonstrated by the great interest in the press gallery. I see not a single member of the press here to listen to this debate. They saw what a grubby little stunt this was. Mr Speaker, I think it is contemptuous to engage in this sort of grubby little political tactic. This is an issue of national concern that has been debated in the national parliament. It is not a matter for this Assembly. This Assembly ought to be getting on with Assembly business. For those reasons I am quite happy to oppose this motion.
MR STEFANIAK (4.10): Mr Speaker, I was rather saddened to hear Mr Connolly say what he just said because he is not even backing his own factional colleague, the Prime Minister. This issue does have local ramifications. The Deputy Chief Minister, the Attorney-General, has had a number of security briefings on possible terrorist activities within Canberra, the national capital, as a result of Saddam Hussein's clear threat to carry out terrorist attacks throughout the world. He informs me that he has had regular briefings in relation to that threat. I know, in fact, that one suspicious person was picked up near the Prime Minister's Lodge in relation to some information received. But, apart from that, possible terrorist attacks are one area that does affect the local population here. I do not think there is anything cheap about this Assembly standing up for fundamental human rights; and that is what we are talking about.
One of the great criticisms, Mr Speaker, that have been made by some in the would-be peace movement in relation to this country's support for the United Nations action in the Gulf has been that we did not do anything in East Timor, that we did nothing about Pol Pot, and that we did nothing in relation to a lot of other gross abuses of human rights by various dictators around the world. That is quite true; but that does not mean that when the Western world, especially, finally decides to stand up to blatant, naked acts of aggression that action should not be supported. That is exactly what has occurred here. We are standing up to a blatant, naked act of aggression carried out by one of the most sadistic dictators of modern times.
This is not a war against the people of Iraq. The people of Iraq are oppressed. Saddam Hussein and his regime - a regime based around his own personal aggrandisement and egotism - have brutally crushed many of their own people. I cite, for example, the chemical attacks on the innocent Kurdish population in northern Iraq; his continued attacks against the Kurdish minority; his assassination, even in cabinet, of various Ministers of his Government; the fact that he does not give one jot if he kills 200,000 or 300,000 of his own troops - they are mere cannon fodder in the Gulf - to achieve his own aims and his own personal aggrandisement. It is not the Iraqi people we are fighting; we are fighting a very brutal dictatorial regime based around one man and his very, very small inner circle. I do not think many Iraqis are particularly happy to be
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