Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on indulgence: I would like to make some remarks about recent developments in East Timor. I think the parliament and the nation of Australia were shocked to hear of the developments in Dili yesterday morning. All in this chamber—government and opposition members—have been long committed to the success of the East Timorese democracy. It was therefore with great and profound shock that we received the news that an assassination attempt had been made on both the President and the Prime Minister of that newly democratised country. The facts have yet to be fully determined but, as honourable members know, the President of East Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta, once injured, was immediately transferred to Australian controlled medical facilities in Dili and then, by medical evacuation, to Darwin. My most recent advice is that his condition remains very serious.

Furthermore, on the question of the present and future of the government, we the Australian government have been in close contact with our counterparts in Dili in the last 24 hours. Yesterday I spoke on two occasions with the Prime Minister of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, to satisfy in our minds that he and his family were safe and also to confirm with him the request which was made for further and additional military and police assistance from Australia. Having received that request, a decision was yesterday taken by the National Security Committee of the government to provide additional military assistance in the form of a company-level deployment out of the Lavarack Barracks in Townsville and a further supplementation of the AFP complement in East Timor, with a further 50 to 70 to be deployed there.

The Prime Minister of East Timor further requested that I make an early visit to Dili, and I propose to do that later this week. We are advised that the present situation is that the streets of Dili remain calm. This, however, is a very fluid environment, and all of us in this parliament who have observed the throes of the emergence of this new democracy since the independence ballot some years ago know how volatile things can become. It will therefore require our continued efforts and attention to respond to security developments as they unfold. Therefore, we took a further decision late last night and this morning, in response again to a legitimate request from our friends in the government of East Timor, to supplement the military and police assistance I referred to earlier with the dispatch of HMAS Perth, which was in the region, to anchor offshore from Dili to provide further logistical support to our deployment there. I am sure I speak for all honourable members when, on behalf of this parliament and this country, I pass our sense of shock and solidarity to our friends in Dili at this appalling attack on their democracy and affirm our resolve to stand by the democratically elected government of East Timor at this time of great duress and challenge.

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