DARWIN - 18 August 2021

KATIE WOOLF, HOST: Luke, obviously, you and I spoke earlier in the week about this situation, it has been absolutely devastating, really, to see what's going on in Afghanistan. I know that you're now saying that you think some of those approved Afghans should be able to come here to go into Bladin Village?

LUKE GOSLING, MEMBER FOR SOLOMON: That’s right, Katie, I think that we've got the capacity there to quarantine those arrivals when we finally evacuate them out. And I just want to remind your listeners that we're not talking about a large amount of people. We're talking about people who have been security vetted and vouched for by Australians, gone through all those checks. And they should be able to be evacuated back to Australia, quarantine in Bladin, and then be resettled by the Federal Government. Obviously, we're going to need the Federal Government's assistance; the NT Government's been doing a great job with Howard Springs, but that's got them fully tied up.

So the proponents and added Biden have lined up the health staff that they need to operate that facility. In fact, defence forces – the Singaporeans, the US Marines and the Australian Defence Force personnel – are already using that facility. So we can continue to play that great role that we have been playing in and help with the process of getting some of those people who are really in a lot of danger to safety.

WOOLF: Luke, how do we decide who we’d actually bring across to the Territory? I know there's still a lot of ifs in this discussion, but I'm watching some of that vision. It has been absolutely heartbreaking and it seems as though it's a heartbreaking situation for so many. So how will we determine who actually would be able to come here to the Territory?

GOSLING: Obviously, the first ones are the Australian citizens that are still in Kabul, they need to be evacuated. But then also those that have worked with the Australian embassy or for the Australian aid program or the interpreters that have worked with our soldiers, a lot of that vetting has already been done. So they would be the priority for lifting out. After that, it'll be a matter for our humanitarian program to, again, do those checks that are required. I'm personally – and obviously won't go into too much detail – working with the Home Affairs Minister, the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Defence Minister, for some people who are really in the gun. No matter what the Taliban's PR is saying, there are people who are in a lot of danger and are basically hiding until they can get out. And if it is possible to get some of those people out, they'll be great contributors to our country if they're able to come here on humanitarian visas. We're just encouraging the Federal Government, that's already very late to the game, to where it's safe to do so, to get in there and get those approved people out. And we can play a role here in the Territory and in that resettlement process. Obviously, the Northern Territory will be part of a national settlement program. But at this stage, we're not talking about large amounts of people. But I guess that depends on how unsafe Kabul, Afghanistan becomes.

WOOLF: So, Luke, did you say that those discussions are already underway or that is something that you're hoping to get underway?

GOSLING: I’ve been sending through information, I've been receiving a lot of phone calls. And for people that are in need of assistance, there are channels through which information can be passed on and there's assessments made. So there's a lot of people that are very concerned for their loved ones, obviously. We have some people who are from Afghanistan in our Darwin community and they're obviously worried. The reality is that we won't be able to take everyone out that wants to get out. But we have a moral responsibility – and we've been saying this for months – to in particular get those out that were fighting side by side or protecting our embassy. Those people are known, those people have been security checked, and those people are currently extremely frightened in Kabul. So our soldiers, when they're given the go-ahead by the Federal Government, can do the job they’re trained for and get our people out.

WOOLF: Luke, you and I spoke earlier in the week, as I've mentioned, and I know that you have real concern and you wanted to ensure that our veterans who have served over in Afghanistan are aware that, you know, that we still stand by them and we are proud of the work that they have done. Have you spoken to more of them throughout the week? And what have those discussions been about?

GOSLING: the phone calls have been people just supporting each other and talking through feelings about what's happened and what they can do, and wondering what the future holds for people in the areas that they worked in. And I spoke with Scotty Palmer's dad Ray the other day, and what he said is absolutely true, is that Australians have the ability to connect with people on the ground in ways that I think most other nations don't do the same way. So they when Scotty and his mates came back from their tours of Afghanistan, they would talk about the way they were in the villages, and how proud they were that, you know, young women in particular were able to go to school and that they were doing something good, providing some security so that they could have some sort of freedom. And they're really proud of the job they did. So part of it is just reminding them of the great job that was done there and knowing that they've got support here when they need it.

Of course, today also is Vietnam Veterans Day. And for Vietnam veterans, this has been a bit of a real retraumatization, because they had similar feelings when they got back from their tours of duty in Vietnam. Was it worth it? Did we make a difference? How are the people going to cope now, that we were ostensibly there to protect and to assist? So I'm thinking about all veterans today, because seeing those scenes, they know that that it's a dangerous environment, and they know that it's a difficult road ahead for Afghanistan, but they can be proud and they should just continue to keep reaching out to their mates.

WOOLF: Luke Gosling, I appreciate you having a chat with this this morning. Please keep us up to date with those discussions and exactly what ends up happening as we move forward and whether Bladin Point is indeed utilised.

GOSLING: Good on you, Katie. We're a good country and we should be doing the right thing and I’ll continue to keep having those conversations. Thanks very much.

WOOLF: Thanks Luke.

ENDS