Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

On 9 July 2011 South Sudan became the newest country in the world. The Republic of South Sudan was the result of a six-year peace process which began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. An agreement reached between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement ended more than two decades of war. The agreement called for a referendum to determine the status of South Sudan, and this was held in July 2011, with 98.83 per cent of participants voting for independence. That is a remarkable statistic.

The outbreak of violence in Sudan in the lead-up to the 2011 referendum was of great concern to the coalition, as it was to the whole Australian parliament. We joined with the United States of America and other members of the international community in urging all parties to remain committed to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. In April this year, the Minister for Foreign Affairs announced that the government is providing up to 25 Australian Defence Force personnel and 10 Australian Federal Police to the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, to provide ongoing humanitarian and development assistance to South Sudan.

UNMISS has three key mandates: (1) support for peace consolidation and thereby fostering longer term state building and economic development, (2) support the government of the Republic of South Sudan in exercising its responsibilities for conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution and protect civilians and (3) support the government of South Sudan in developing its capacity to provide security to establish rule of law and to strengthen the security and justice sectors.

The coalition welcomes the government's additional assistance to the people of Sudan during this period. This has built on Australia's humanitarian program in Darfur initiated by the Howard government. Australians are concerned about reports of ongoing violence in regions such as Southern Kordotan and the Nuba Mountains which are deeply troubling. UN Mission in South Sudan Chief Hilde Johnson said on 5 July this year:

The tensions and the crisis between Sudan and South Sudan have impeded state and nation building efforts. In many ways, these unresolved issues have been like chains on our feet of the new and independent country. They have also constituted significant problems for Sudan.

There are a number of key issues which are yet to be resolved between Sudan and South Sudan, concerning disputed territory particularly the Abyei administrative regions and resources as well as the problems which arise in granting nationality and citizenship to people. These issues have already caused conflict in the region and have led to more than 110,000 people being forced south and into Ethiopia.

South Sudan needs to develop a constructive relationship with Sudan on such important matters, and to work on ways of controlling the border and the need for legal frameworks for refugee returns. Refugees returning to South Sudan from the north is a difficult matter and there is no easy way to measure South Sudanese presence in Sudan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports violence affected various part of the south in 2011 and by the end of August it was believed that more than 3,070 people had been killed in intercommunal and militia related violence. It is expected refugees, people at risk of statelessness, returnees and internally displaced persons will continue to increase in South Sudan should the conflict in Southern Kordofan and Darfur worsen. The people of Sudan have already suffered immensely and it is pivotal both Sudan and South Sudan protect their citizens and comply with international law.

In my electorate of Riverina there is a vibrant Sudanese and South Sudanese community who celebrated the first anniversary of South Sudan with a traditional lunch and dances on July 14. Mr Deng Jot organised the festivities and said that the day recognised the freedom for which the South Sudanese people had fought long and hard. He also said the day was 'a way for us to remember those who have died'.

I am really pleased so many Sudanese Australians are here in the Federation Chamber tonight and I welcome them. The coalition has always been and will always be committed to fundamental human rights, as has the government, including freedom of worship. We call on the Sudanese authorities to ensure members of all faiths are able to practice their religion free from fear. I commend the member for Greenway for this motion. She, like me, has a presence of Sudanese and South Sudanese, all wonderful people, in her electorate in western Sydney and I know how committed she is to those people. Again, I commend her for this motion.

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