Bill Shorten pays surprise visit to Australian troops in Iraq
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has made a surprise trip to visit troops in Iraq.
In his first visit to the country as Labor leader, Mr Shorten commended the unit and individuals present who received Australia Day honours for their work between 2007 and 2014.
"It has been my great privilege to visit our troops stationed in the Middle East and to thank them for the outstanding and vital work they do," Mr Shorten said in a statement.
"I was humbled by the men and women I met at both the Australian force base in the Middle East region and in Baghdad; their dedication, skill and sense of purpose."
Mr Shorten told Defence personnel the current mission in Iraq had bipartisan support and thanked the Prime Minister for his assistance in arranging the visit.
The trip follows Tony Abbott's own visit to the war-torn country last month.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also visited the Middle East this week, spending time with Australian troops and government officials in Afghanistan and meeting with government and private sector representatives in the United Arab Emirates.
