Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to support and endorse the motion moved by the member for Fremantle and thank her for enabling us as a parliament to discuss and put on record our very deep concerns at what has occurred in Sri Lanka and for providing us with the opportunity to add our voice to the voice of the international community that is urging a peaceful resolution in that very troubled country. I also commend the previous speaker, the member for Mitchell, for clarifying those words in the motion which refer to the allegation of war crimes. I think the member for Canning misunderstood the motion when he suggested that the member for Fremantle was one-sided in her comments about war crimes. Section (2)(b) of the motion clearly calls for an independent international investigation into war crimes alleged to have been committed by both parties during the recent conflict. I think that is fairly clear and I do not think anyone in this parliament would have concerns with that particular wording.

Since being elected to the seat of Bonner I have met with a number of residents from the Tamil community who live locally in my area. I have heard firsthand from them of the suffering and the concerns they and their families who are still living in Sri Lanka, particularly in the north, have as a result of these troubles and this conflict. It certainly brings it home when you sit and discuss those personal stories with people. It cannot help but move you to try to take some small action. That is why I am supporting this motion tonight. I think we would all acknowledge that the some 300,000 members of the Tamil community who are currently in camps in Sri Lanka are certainly living in conditions which we would not support. There are concerns about degradation, deprivation, oppression, the treatment of Tamil women and other such problems that have been raised by the Tamil community and that we need to have investigated. As Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, I felt it was imperative to support this motion. I urge both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil community to find ways to peacefully resolve this conflict, keeping in mind the human rights of all of their citizens in those discussions.

This particular motion simply asks for access by the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies into the camps that I talked about earlier, and to have a full independent analysis of what is actually occurring and how those people can be helped and supported. This is a very small step in what will be a massive task to rebuild the communities of Sri Lanka, to rebuild the trust and to heal many of the rifts that exist. It is important that we acknowledge that the responsibility is very much now on the Sri Lankan government to lead this particular path to peace and to find a long-term and more enduring resolution to this conflict than the violence that we have seen over the past decades. The defeat of the LTTE places greater responsibility on the government to make sure that the human and civilian rights of all citizens, most importantly those of the Tamil community, are protected and that negotiations lead to a peaceful resolution which ensures that all citizens are cared for and their rights are respected. I urge all leaders in the Sri Lankan community and all those in positions of power and influence to do whatever they can to find a peaceful political solution to this current situation.

I endorse the comments of our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister Smith, who has called for a political solution. Long-term security and prosperity in Sri Lanka can only come through a political solution and through a cessation of the conflict. It can never come from the continuation of violence. We know that nobody wins from a violent conflict. We know that the casualties are great and that there is never an enduring resolution. I simply add my voice to those calling for a peaceful resolution.

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