LISA WILKINSON:
We’re joined now by Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Good morning to you, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA WILKINSON:
Can you tell us when they will hit the ground?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Lisa, there are two elements to Australia's work in Iraq at the moment. One is the humanitarian air drops – and there was a humanitarian air drop to the town of Amerli yesterday – and the other is that Australia is joining other countries in a military airlift to the Kurdish parts of Iraq. The other countries involved are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Italy. So, we are working with our partners to address what is a humanitarian catastrophe and a security nightmare in this very unstable part of the world. The point I stress is that while it seems a long, long way away, it is reaching out to us because, as you know, Lisa, there are some 60 Australians who are involved in fighting with terrorist groups in this part of the world.
LISA WILKINSON:
When will the delivery happen, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Lisa, look, I'm not going to go into the specific operational details, but it will begin in coming days.
LISA WILKINSON:
Critics say that this latest situation in Iraq is proof that the 2003 war on terror was a mistake and only gave rise to a much more dangerous jihadist movement. Why have you decided to involve our military in yet another conflict in Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
Lisa, they are two very different situations. In 2003, there was a campaign in Iraq against the will of the Iraqi government. What's happening now is an involvement, essentially a humanitarian involvement, and it is at the request of the Americans with the support of the Iraqi government. Our aircraft going into the Kurdish parts of Iraq will be landing at Baghdad for customs clearance and all the rest of it and then they will be going on to Erbil.
LISA WILKINSON:
You’ve always ruled out sending troops to Iraq, but surely boots on the ground now are inevitable?
PRIME MINISTER:
What President Obama has said all along, and what I say likewise, is that we are ruling out combat troops on the ground. Now, it is a difficult situation. It is a developing situation. We are continuing to talk to our partners and allies about possible military involvement down the track. But at the moment, there’s a humanitarian airlift which took place yesterday, following up the humanitarian airlift to Mount Sinjar a week or so back, and there is a military airlift into the Kurdish parts of Iraq. There has been no formal request and no decision taken to get further involved in actual military conflict.
LISA WILKINSON:
Are you concerned at all that this conflict could spark a broader war within the Middle East?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, there’s a very important point to make and that is that any Australian involvement would be in partnership with a number of our allies, the United States, the United Kingdom. The military airlift that we are participating in now, certainly involves the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Italy. So, there’s a partnership here. The other very important point to make is that this is all being done with the support and the consent to help the Iraqi government and people. So there’s no question of intervention here against the Iraqi government. This is an intervention with the Iraqi government in support of the Iraqi government.
LISA WILKINSON:
Of course, but Britain has recently lifted its terror warning to severe. Won't this renewed involvement in Iraq heighten our own threat of an attack here on home soil?
PRIME MINISTER:
This matter was dealt with by David Irvine, the head of ASIO, at the National Press Club last week, and he said that he didn't see any correlation. The point I make, Lisa, is that the terrorist groups that we are seeing very heavily active in Northern Iraq and elsewhere, sure, they hate us, but they hate us for who we are and how we live. They don't simply hate us for what we do.
LISA WILKINSON:
Should we all be prepared therefore for our terror threat to be lifted here in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the categorisation is medium and medium means under our system that an attack is feasible and could happen. I think that is the right level of threat. Certainly that’s the level of threat which is in place with the advice of our expert authorities. It is ASIO’s advice, and they are the relevant experts, that this is the appropriate threat level at this time. But, obviously, we are constantly monitoring it and the fact that there are some 60 Australians involved with terrorist groups in Iraq and elsewhere; the fact that these born and bred in large part Australians could easily come back here, with murderous intent, does mean that it’s important to stay constantly vigilant.
LISA WILKINSON:
Prime Minister, we will have to leave it there, but we thank you very much for your time this morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you so much, Lisa.
[ends]