Ms Bernie Maguire:

I will address what we are replacing this with. We do not have plans lined up to dispatch our military to a number of other types of missions. If there were further UN missions, we would of course be considering those. This is not about turning our back on the UN. The UN is very much part of our foreign policy. We are very much committed to that and there is no change. It is the beholden bit and the power of the veto that determines whether we stay or participate in a mission. That is the piece. It is not about looking at all these different types of activities. We are already involved in EU missions, EU battlegroups and NATO missions. When a request comes in to join one of these missions, they are carefully considered by the Government, the Minister of the day and our military colleagues as to what this means, including whether we are satisfied with the legal framework we are entering into and with the rules of engagement. That scrutiny happens, to reassure the people who will be listening today, as the Senator said.

There are no hidden plans to head off in a direction that we have not already been in.