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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 09 Hansard (Tuesday, 17 August 2004) . . Page.. 3796 ..

harm this country and let our troops down. Let us look at the real Hicks case for which the Chief Minister cares little. David Hicks, a foolish man, must bear responsibility for making the stupidest decision possible—to train with al-Qaeda Afghan Mujahideen fighters in the Drenitsa Valley in Kosovo in 1999.

His human rights must be protected, and they are, and he has received as much attention as any other Australian criminal detained overseas. The evidence is irrefutable that the mob that David Hicks joined and worked with in the Drenitsa Valley were operating murderously against Serb and Albanian civilians. Such was the courage of these mercenaries that, unlike the mainstream Kosovo Liberation Army with whom they were supposed to be serving, they developed a reputation for attacking more civilians than soldiers. This is who David Hicks operated and trained with. Let us not forget that David Hicks’ mob also assassinated Kosovo Albanian leaders who were seen to be too democratic, particularly those of the Ibrahim Rugova political alliance. This is the man whom the Chief Minister would expend more energy on than he would on the victims of this man’s hardline extremist faction.

This Chief Minister would spend more time complaining about David Hicks than he would making supportive noises and offering support and comfort to our troops or offering support to the likes of Peter Bunch and Diana Thomas, the two Australian missionaries who spent a harrowing time unjustly imprisoned by the Taliban in Kabul—Hicks’ pals, of course—and who were close to being executed by the Taliban—the same mob, perhaps with David Hicks’ involvement, who were killing, terrorising and suppressing Afghanis. I have never heard the Chief Minister speak at all, glowingly or otherwise, of Peter Bunch and Diana Thomas, who are honourable people and were doing honourable work in Afghanistan. There is nothing of substance in Hansard by the Chief Minister about Bunch and Thomas, but of course they are not as politically exciting as David Hicks.

David Hicks’ trial should have been expedited and we are frustrated that it has taken three years to get to the point it has. Yes, this country has a duty to monitor David Hicks’ rights and this country is, but the Chief Minister has fallen hook, line and sinker for the leftist anti-war propaganda on David Hicks by the rabble of lefty lawyers and activists who have unashamedly used David Hicks and his family as one of their personal political vehicles for their anti-war, anti-American and anti-Howard bashing.

The Chief Minister cannot keep out of it. He cannot stay above it all. He has to misuse the multicultural portfolio to dabble in international and national politics. The problem is that many people in the multicultural community are sick of the Chief Minister’s inflammatory, divisive and naively propagandist statements. Defence force personnel residing in Canberra and veterans are simmering over the Chief Minister’s support of these types of people who work against the national interest and who work against decency. The Chief Minister would be well advised to drop the lefty propaganda rubbish and to get back to core business. David Hicks’ rights will be properly looked after despite what he has done. Meanwhile the ACT needs a Chief Minister who is focused on territory affairs, not one who is disgracefully working against the national interest.

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