The treasurer, Scott Morrison, has warned against a “hot-headed” response to the crisis in Syria, following the intervention of the former defence minister, Kevin Andrews, who called on Australia to put boots on the ground.
Andrews, an Abbott loyalist who lost the defence portfolio following September’s leadership spill, has taken a swipe at the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, over his strategy in the Middle East.
“Australia has an opportunity to engage in greater leadership,” Andrews wrote in an opinion piece in the Australian Financial Review. “Our efforts in training Iraqi forces is commendable, but insufficient.”
Andrews said the United States was creating a “false choice between the current approach and a full-scale invasion of Syria”.
He urged a “concerted campaign by coalition special operations forces”, as well as greater collaboration with Russia and a political solution that did not require the downfall of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
Morrison said the Turnbull government’s policy of conducting airstrikes in Syria and Iraq was in line with that of former prime minister Tony Abbott.
“If there were to be any change to that, this would need to be a matter which was considered amongst the coalition forces, not by any unilateral position of Australia,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
“To suggest that we should take some unilateral action in this area, I would find very surprising,” Morrison said. “I’m sure that’s not what the former defence minister would be suggesting. That would be contrary to everything that was previously being done and equally under his own administration.
“It’s important in these situations that we remain very calm and that we work in concert with our partners in this theatre and that we don’t have some sort of hot-headed response to these issues,” he said. “You can expect the government to be considering all matters that would ensure we do that and that means continuing the strong presence that we have.”
Speaking later on ABC TV, Andrews warned there was a “timidity” on the part of the United States to put troops on the ground, due in part to its history in Iraq.
“In a sense President Obama has probably over-learnt the lessons of President Bush,” he said. “We may have made some mistakes in terms of the early Iraq interventions but now it seems to me that the pendulum has swung the other way and we are in risk of not doing enough.”
He argued that only a small number of troops rather than a “battalion” could enhance the existing air campaign.
“You’ll never be able to drop bombs where you need to drop them adequately or in sufficient numbers unless you have some presence on the ground,” Andrews said.
The leader of the House, Christopher Pyne, told Sky News on Monday that neither Abbott nor Andrews raised concerns when they held leadership positions.
“I don’t recall a proposal... to put boots on the ground coming forward,” he said.
On Monday, the House of Representatives debated a Labor bill to hold a parliamentary debate within the next sitting fortnight on Australia’s defence strategy in Iraq and Syria. The motion was originally brought forward by the shadow foreign minister, Tanya Plibersek, in October.
Before that, in September, Abbott announced Australia would take part in US-led airstrikes in Syria, after receiving a formal request from the Obama administration. Australia was already conducting airstrikes over Iraq, and has troops there to train Iraqi forces to help combat the influence of extremist group, Isis.
Since being ousted as prime minister, Abbott has called for more direct involvement in Syria. Last week he urged the government to send special forces troops into the country in order to destroy the “terrorist caliphate” created by Isis.
The justice minister, Michael Keenan, downplayed any suggestion of a rift within the government as a result of the public airing of defence policy differences.
“These are important and fundamental issues, and anyone who wants to contribute to it from the coalition party room I think should be encouraged to do it,” he told reporters on Monday.
