Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on this motion. I commend it. It is a very good motion. I am particularly pleased to speak after my colleague and friend from Tasmania. I also want to acknowledge all the people of Ryan who might be listening to this presentation. I know that there will be many, because they have contacted me in relation to the government’s support for the UN, the opposition’s support for the UN and, indeed, my own support for the UN. I want to say at the outset that as a student at Cambridge University I had the distinct privilege of being the president of the Cambridge UN Society. Personally, I have a very strong affection for the UN and what that global body can do to make life better for the billions of people on planet Earth.

I want to also at the outset commend the young Australians who are seeking to host the Asia-Pacific model UN conference at the University of Queensland, which is located in the Ryan electorate, next year from 12 to 17 July. I commend them, I wish them well and I look forward very much to supporting them and working with them. My electorate will be hosting some 600 students that will be coming in from all over the Asia-Pacific region to participate in that conference. It is fantastic to see young Australians engaged in that kind of activity.

Australia has been a consistent and long-term contributor to the United Nations. We have contributed to many UN peacekeeping operations. Our country, in fact, participated in the first peacekeeping operation under the UN flag in 1947, the UN Consular Commission to Indonesia. Australia had a place at the table when the UN was formed, as my colleagues have said. The UN replaced the League of Nations, which was created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The UN officially came into being on 24 October 1945 following the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco in June of that year.

Since then, Australia’s record has been very good and honourable. All of us can be proud of our participation in the UN, our support for it and our deep interest in the place of the UN in the global architecture. Australia has participated in more than 30 UN peacekeeping and peace monitoring operations, in areas including Korea, the Middle East and Cambodia. Speaking of Cambodia, I had the great privilege of leading Australia’s contribution to the UN observer mission to the Cambodian elections in 2003. Cambodia has had recent elections, which is a positive step for that country’s fledgling democracy. But at the same time, and I will touch on this a little bit later in my presentation if I get the time, I acknowledge that Cambodia is also in the spotlight at the moment with its border dispute with Thailand.

Australia’s core interest in terms of the UN’s agenda lie very much in the areas of international security and disarmament, the environment, human rights, developmental programs and those technical agencies dealing with issues such as agriculture, refugees and international nuclear safeguards. Australia has been a member of the UN Security Council on four occasions: from 1946 to 1947, 1956 to 1957, 1973 to 1974 and 1985 to 1986. I note the Rudd government’s determination to have Australia back on the UN Security Council. For my part, I support this. It is a worthy initiative. But if we are going to do it, let us do it properly. Let us give it full resources and let us make it happen in a bipartisan fashion.

Australia is the 13th largest contributor to the UN regular budget and to the funding for UN peacekeeping operations. This is a very good thing. Australia also provides voluntary funding to many UN agencies. In 2007-08, Australia will provide $80 million for core funding to UN development agencies compared with $70 million in 2006-07. That is a welcome initiative. I state for the record that I support that very much.

I want to touch on some broader points. The UN does have its limitations and constraints. As I said, I am for the UN. It is an indispensable part of the global architecture. But from the time of its foundation to the 21st century, the world has changed. Let us ask this question: does today’s UN genuinely and legitimately reflect the 21st century global landscape? I am not so sure. There has been the rise of China and India and Brazil and more recent times. We have seen a completely different Eastern Europe emerge with the collapse of the Soviet Union, with the Russian Federation now dominating that part of the world. In our part of the world, Japan still remains the second-largest economy in the world and India, the world’s largest democracy, perhaps should have a place on the permanent UN Security Council. I very much want to acknowledge all the great challenges facing the UN. We can solve these togethers. (Time expired)

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