Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

The world has watched developments in some countries of the Middle East and North Africa over the last few weeks with a mix of trepidation and guarded hope for the future. Ruled by authoritarian regimes, typically with close links to the military, many of these nations have been relatively stable for years—decades in some cases. That stability has come at a cost based on the oppression of opposition parties and individuals and a suppression of people’s desire for greater freedom.

It is often said that the nation of Egypt is pivotal, as the Arab world’s most populous nation, with more than 78 million people. While estimates vary, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Cairo, and other cities 17 days ago, demanding greater freedom and the resignation of President Mubarak. The situation quickly descended into running street battles between the police and the protesters. Concerns were raised for the estimated 700 Australians registered to be in Egypt at that time although it was believed that the real number could be several thousand more, including dual nationals.

I commend the efforts of our consular officials, who must have been overwhelmed by calls for assistance. Their work was further hampered by the decision of the regime to shut down communication networks in their attempts to prevent the growth and momentum of the protests. The Australian government responded to the crisis with increased staff. However, while the international airports remained operational, commercial flights were heavily disrupted.

I know that members of our parliament were contacted by Australians in Egypt and, from my experience, both the office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did all they could to assist. Two Qantas charter flights were arranged which evacuated more than 350 Australians. One of these flights carried an Australian woman who contacted my office via friends in Australia. I spoke to a very emotional Roseanne at 4 am Egypt time and reassured her that every effort was being made to ensure her safe return to Australia. I maintained contact with her over the following few days. I put on the record that when her case was brought to the attention of the office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs it was quickly resolved. I am pleased to report that she arrived home safely and I thank the foreign minister for his personal interest in that matter as well as many others—there were a number of similar instances. We hope and trust that all Australians are now safe from harm or, if they have chosen to remain in Egypt, are taking all necessary precautions for their safety. I acknowledge again the efforts of our diplomatic and consular officials in responding to the needs of Australian citizens at this time.

It has been widely reported that the Egyptian protests were instigated by the recent overthrow of the Tunisian government and that has been seen as the impetus for change in other nations. The Tunisian protests were sparked by the death of a young man who, forced to sell fruit on the street, set himself alight when his produce was confiscated. To put the Egyptian crisis in context, it is fair to assume that economic hardship and poor employment prospects, coupled with corruption under oppressive regimes that suppressed basic freedoms, are at the core of many of the grievances not only in Tunisia but also in Jordan, Yemen and Egypt, leading to calls for significant economic and democratic reform.

While the motivation for the protests is deeply complex, varying from nation to nation and often without apparent and visible leadership, the increasing cost of living is undoubtedly adding fuel to the anti-government fires. While food inflation and global food prices are not the underlying cause, they have been a potent trigger. There are parallels to the unrest with the food riots in 2007-08 that threatened the stability of government and societies in numerous countries around the world. At that time, record high food prices were described by World Vision’s Tim Costello as an ‘apocalyptic warning’ about food security. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s global food index recently passed the record levels of 2008 with the price of cereals increasing by almost 40 per cent last year and cooking oils up by 55 per cent. The FAO is warning governments against any action that could make the situation worse, such as stockpiling. However, this call is unlikely to be heeded by governments under massive pressure from protesters, and we have seen and read reports of Egyptians struggling to pay for basic food items.

It is with great sadness that we have read reports of deaths and injuries among the Egyptian people who have taken to the streets to have their voices heard. The protests have gone through distinct phases with a period of calm following the initial clashes with police and security forces. There were fears of the nation falling into chaos after the police were overwhelmed by the protests and they effectively abandoned their posts. This was followed by the deployment of the army, which was welcomed by the protesters. Fears of a massacre were raised after the pro-Mubarak forces appeared to launch attacks on the protesters and at times sustained gunfire could be heard. The army was criticised for not preventing this conflict and it moved to keep the two sides apart, thus restoring a semblance of relative calm. The army remains the critical player in the eventual resolution of the impasse.

The key demand of the protesters is that President Mubarak resigns from his office. Mubarak has offered up numerous concessions, including the appointment of a deputy president for the time, and he has appointed a new government. His vice-president has reportedly held talks with opposition figures, including representatives from the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Many people around the world are hoping that Egypt can manage the peaceful transition to a new, more open government that provides its citizens with a genuine say in the running of their country. There are also great concerns that Egypt could follow the path of Iran, where a peaceful uprising against an authoritarian regime was quickly overwhelmed by radical Islamists, and that is why most attention rests on the Muslim Brotherhood. While it is generally accepted that the brotherhood represents only about 20 or 30 per cent of the population, it has managed to survive decades of repression by the Mubarak regime. This makes it by far the most organised and best equipped organisation to fill any vacuum in power. The respected US analyst organisation StratFor published a report on 5 February that ended with the following words:

…the MB—an enormously patient organization—senses its time finally may have come.

The world watches for an outcome in Egypt with anticipation and with some trepidation, but we hope that it will be a peaceful transition to a more open and democratic government with a better outcome for the people of Egypt.

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