There is no more serious issue for Parliament to debate than the deployment of 1500 troops.
That is why the Greens have long pursued a Parliamentary debate on Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan.
There will be one uniting factor and that is our support for the troops in Afghanistan. All Parliamentarians are hugely proud of them, their courage and commitment and their service to this country.
But after ten years there does not seem to be an end in sight for the war, and similar countries – the Netherlands and Canada – are withdrawing.
The Greens policy is for the safe withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible.
With the Government and the Coalition committed to an ongoing involvement in Afghanistan we see a Parliamentary debate as the best mechanism to put a focus on the enormous commitment of Australian personnel in this dangerous region.
It also puts a focus on the obligation we have as Parliamentarians to understand what it is that leads the Government to ask our troops to make such a commitment to such a dangerous task.
Every member of Parliament should be able to stand and defend his or her reasoning for support for the troops being kept in Afghanistan and what the people of their electorate think. Polls show the majority of Australians also want the troops brought home.