Julie Bishop - Member for Curtin

Minister for Foreign Affairs must reveal response to Oruzgan security report

Details

Published on Friday, 27 July 2012 01:41

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Bob Carr must reveal the response of AusAID to a draft report by The Liaison Office (TLO) into the security situation in Chora district of Oruzgan province in Afghanistan.

Senator Carr must explain the discrepancy between testimony to Senate Estimates by AusAID Director General Peter Baxter and the claims of Dr Susanne Schmeidl from the TLO, reported today.

In response to Coalition questions in Senate Estimates on 31 May 2012 Mr Baxter said, “We did not suggest that they alter or delete their assessments. We did make a suggestion that one of the sections not be published.”

Dr Schmeidl is reported today claiming that AusAID officials did in fact challenge the TLO security assessment and that "AusAID felt that TLO's assessment did not match the security gains noted by the PRT [Provincial Reconstruction Team].''

“Maybe the Australians would rather have the story told how they see it rather than how it’s independently seen because I think in general right now in Afghanistan as the argument - I think there's almost a desperation to show the last 10 year weren't a failure, that the country actually won't slide back into civil war.”

It is critical that the Minister for Foreign Affairs make a full and complete disclosure of the AusAID response to the draft TLO report, given that an AusAID employee was badly injured by a young suicide bomber only a few weeks later.

The Minister must also explain the circumstances around AusAID’s decision to cancel the $3.6 million contract with the TLO in May this year.

The Minister must detail the current arrangements for security assessments in Oruzgan and the safeguards currently in place to protect the welfare of AusAID staff.