Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of this motion about peace negotiations in the Philippines. The pursuit of peace should be at the forefront of the foreign policy of all nation states. Even in terms of our military operations, peace remains the ultimate objective. There is no contradiction between having a strong military capacity and the pursuit of peace. There is no contradiction between committing troops to battle in a just cause and the pursuit of peace. Sadly, in today's world, we as a nation must commit our troops to war to achieve that very objective. Once again, I pay tribute to our brave and committed servicemen, who, at our direction, go to war and risk so much.

In particular, today I pay tribute to Sergeant Brett Wood, who gave his life in service of this nation. We owe him and his colleagues so much. They are also true peacemakers. It is against that background that the report of the resumption of peace talks in the Philippines offers so much hope because, even after years of conflict, the opportunities presented by negotiation are invaluable. These peace negotiations mark a new effort by both parties to bring an end to their 40-year conflict. The insurgency in the Philippines formally began in 1969, pitting the Filipino regime against rebels including the New People's Army and separatists of both the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It continues to be one of the least resolved and least reported conflicts occurring today, despite the World Health Organisation estimating that 16,000 Filipinos are killed by violence in a year. The conflict itself is said to have claimed tens of thousands of lives throughout its 40-year duration.

It is appropriate at this significant time in the history of this conflict to offer some cautious words of congratulation. We should recognise the courage of the parties to those negotiations—not courage in battle but rather the courage to put aside the passions and indeed hatreds generated by war and to talk. The Philippines government and the National Democratic Front should be congratulated because, as Sir Winston Churchill famously said at a White House lunch in June 1954, 'To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war' But also today I want to pay particular tribute to the peacemakers—those governments and people who go out of their way to resolve conflict and to assist in negotiations. In this instance it is the royal Norwegian government and diplomats who have acted as third-party facilitators in peace discussions for over a decade.

It is also timely that we acknowledge and support Australia's proud record in this regard, because particularly in our neighbourhood we have an enviable track record of peacekeeping and peacemaking. Australia can look with pride to our sponsorship with New Zealand of the long-running but remarkably successful peace process in Bougainville. The contribution of diplomats like Nick Warner, the then Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, John Hayes and Nigel Moore of New Zealand, and so many others is a tribute to diplomacy at its best, as are the contributions by Norwegian facilitators in the Philippines. Equally, in East Timor and the Solomon Islands Australians can look with pride to our contribution towards peacemaking. I refer to people like Leo White, a Brisbane barrister who has always been willing to go out of his way to selflessly support peace building, be it in Bougainville, in the Solomon Islands or on the Thai-Burma border.

At ANU's State, Society and Governance in Melanesia program, Anthony Regan has brought to bear a remarkable understanding of law and practical common sense to assist in peace negotiations around the world. In my electorate of Ryan, the former Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland, now the Peace and Conflict Studies Institute Australia, provides much needed support in our region. People like Volker Boege, Anne Brown, Serge Loode, Anna Nolan and Morgan Brigg have all contributed to peace around the world, just like those in the Philippines are striving to achieve. It is important to give recognition to our peacemakers. They truly make the world a better place. As prominent Norwegian political scientist Barth Eide commented, 'Dialogue is not a sign of weakness. It is the strategy of the brave.'

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