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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 1 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 248 ..

Mr Stefaniak: If you go with me, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Check the standing orders, Mr Stefaniak.

MR BERRY: The fact of the matter is that the UN is unlikely to support the involvement of the US or Australia in an invasion of Iraq. I heard today that Australia and the United States were in a minority, by themselves, and deservedly so, because they both seem to be interested in committing their troops to a bloody war. If you think that, by accusing me of being a naive pacifist, you are going to sway me from my opposition to war, you are wasting your time, old son, because I have been opposing wars for too long to be swayed by that sort of rhetoric.

What you have got to do is get to the substance: what will happen to our people and what will happen to the people over there on the international front? It is quite easy for the people opposite to stand back and say that it is a great idea to send our flesh and blood over there to attack their flesh and blood in the interests of the wider political agendas of somebody who does not give a fig about the Australian people. Do you think George Bush cares about Australians? Of course he doesn't. (Extension of time granted.) The majority in the UN is calling for more inspections and for some support for those inspections.

Mr Smyth: How much longer will you be? How long is a piece of string?

MR BERRY: Mr Smyth, it is nice of you to interject. You support sending our troops there at any time to whip in and slaughter a few of the Iraqis and think that that will be the answer to our problems. It will not be, because it has been proven in the past-

Mrs Burke: None of us have said that. Don't misrepresent what we have said.

MR BERRY: You want them in there and you want a unilateral strike on Iraq. That, in your view, is the only thing that will fix up Saddam. What has happened in the past does not support your view that well.

The fact of the matter is that there should be more inspections, there should be more diplomatic action taken and there should be support for those inspections until they work out. If you think a failed attack on Iraq is going to help anybody, you are kidding yourself. It never helped while you were there. The reason you were there was to help those people whose position in Iraq was made worse by those attacks.

A unilateral attack on Iraq is a most outrageous position for any government to take. For the wild-eyed warmongers opposite to support that approach is completely outrageous. I am proud to have marched with 5,000 to 10,000 people in the ACT last weekend. If I get the chance again, I will be out there. You could again call me a naive pacifist, but that would not sway me.

Mr Pratt: Tell that to the next 2,000 Iraqis who will die next month.

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