This weekend, The Nationals, the Liberal Party’s partner in government, held its Federal Council in Canberra. In among the discussions on topics such as agriculture and rural Australia, the party unanimously passed an urgent motion on Iraq and Syria, calling for more aid.
The motion, as reported by the ABC, implores the government to increase its humanitarian aid and refugee intake in response to the violence being carried out by the Islamic State group in Northern Iraq.
Queensland Senator Barry O’Sullivan, who seconded the motion put forward by the Nationals’ Women’s Council, told the ABC’s Naomi Woodley he thought it was a “fair comment” to suggest that cuts to the aid budget be revisited in light of large crises.
In a separate interview, he told Queensland talkback station 4BC that he thought “any fair thinking Australian at the moment would be concerned about what’s happening there [in Northern Iraq]”.
Senator O’Sullivan wouldn’t suggest any numbers for proposed increases to aid nor on the refugee intake, but emphasised that Australians needed to do “all that we can” to help those affected by the conflict.
“For my part, my spirit says we should do whatever we can, we should stretch ourselves and push the envelope with numbers and the aid we can supply,” Senator O’Sullivan told ABC.
“Without putting a number about it, I think we should do whatever we can and a little bit more, that’s my view.”
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