I reject the claim made yesterday by 43 former foreign affairs, intelligence and defence office-holders that Australia joined the military operation against Iraq based on deception.
I respect the fact that many Australians opposed the decision to join the operation. These 43 people are clearly amongst them.
The Government's critics should remember that at the time of the Iraqi operation early last year there was a near unanimous view around the world that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
The Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd had said that it was "an empirical fact" Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Both the Flood Inquiry and the Inquiry by the Parliamentary Joint Committee into ASIO, ASIS, and DSD found that there was no evidence that the Government had pressured the intelligence agencies to produce particular advice.
Although the Flood Inquiry was critical of the ambiguity and incompleteness of intelligence material it concluded that on the basis of the material available the conclusion that Iraq had WMD was easier to substantiate than the conclusion that it did not.
The proposition that the Government took Australia to war based on a lie has itself been demonstrated to be a total distortion of the facts. If the Coalition had not acted last year Saddam Hussein would be in power in Iraq today.
I note in passing that 42 of the 43 signatories to the statement had retired from service before the 11 September 2001, and in many cases years before. The terrorist attacks which occurred on that day profoundly changed the world in which we lived. New and different challenges exist for which new and different approaches are needed.
Finally, the statement has repeated a discredited criticism of the Government's foreign policy - that our closeness to the United States has harmed our relations with our friends and partners in the region.
Australia's involvement in the Pacific has never been more active and intense. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands has established a new benchmark. Our diplomatic and economic links with China have burgeoned. Free trade agreements have been signed with Singapore and Thailand. In addition our strong ties with Japan and Korea have been reinforced. Our relations with Indonesia are close and cooperative.
The reality is that this Government has both strengthened Australia's relations with the United States and deepened our links with the region.