Graham Kennedy: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGraham Kennedy: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 23 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:206. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green)to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that the risks to New Zealand from any commitment of military assistance to counter Islamic State militants in Iraq would be “no greater than I think the risks are currently here today”; if so why?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House)on behalf of thePrime Minister: Yes. As the Prime Minister said yesterday this is an evolving issue. No commitment of military assistance has been made. Officials are preparing advice for Ministers and Cabinet to consider a range of options including humanitarian diplomatic and military contributions. This will include advice around risks to New Zealand and New Zealanders from any contribution.Dr Kennedy Graham: What evidence did the Prime Minister originally have to base his original statement on and any further evidence to reflect that evolving situation and will he share it consistent with genuine national security interests so that both the Parliament and people of this country can be properly informed on this important matter?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: The Prime Minister has made it clear in the past that there are New Zealanders who want to go and fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) forces and there are people who want to come into this country after perhaps having fought with them. Those are concerns that the Government has and beyond those statements I am not offering anything more at this point.Dr Kennedy Graham: Is the Prime Minister aware that countries facing security risks to their citizens are those engaged in the military campaigns against Islamic extremists—primarily the US the UK and Australia and now of course Canada?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: It could appear that way. We do not quite know what the situation is in Canada. But let us be clear: if we were to do nothing and simply live with the threat that New Zealand clearly is now part of then in fact we would be allowing terrorists to dictate our current foreign policy arrangements and therefore significantly impede the rights and freedoms of New Zealanders to make their own choices.Dr Kennedy Graham: Is he not concerned that any involvement in the military action against ISIL may be actually doing more harm than good for global peace and security; and does he think that we have an independent foreign policy when the Prime Minister has already stated that New Zealand should join the United States and “other like-minded countries” in fighting the Islamic State?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No decision has been made about what we might do if we do join such an action. Yes of course there are worries about the threats that could occur here in New Zealand. In case the member has not noticed there are considerable worries even across the organisation of this Parliament with some of the restrictions that have been put in place today. These are not occasions when you can simply ignore what is going on around you and hope that being somehow passive about the way in which these organisations operate will make them go away.Dr Kennedy Graham: Does he agree with the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy of 2006 that rather than doing nothing or ignoring what is going on around us we need to recognise that the real triumph over terrorism requires the elimination of its causes; if so how does he foresee New Zealand contributing through the United Nations Security Council in that respect?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I would note that that statement from the United Nations is now 8 years old and that the world has changed a lot in that time. What we have said is that our consideration will be across a range of possibilities—humanitarian contributions Government contributions all sorts of things. Nothing is ruled out. As the Prime Minister has repeatedly said they are all under consideration.Dr Kennedy Graham: In light of the fact that the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy of 2006 was reaffirmed in its entirety 2 months ago by the Security Council having regard to the time elapsed since then what plan does New Zealand have as a member-elect to the Security Council to develop its conflict prevention role in Syria and Iraq as called for in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2171 of 21 August?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: All matters relating to whatever we might do in response to the ISIL threat to countries like ours are currently under consideration. Once Ministers in Cabinet have completed that consideration then clearly this House will be notified of that deliberation.