Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the private member's motion of the honourable member for Greenway. Obviously the member for Greenway has quite a significant population in her seat who are people from Sudan and South Sudan. I have just a few—not too many, because I live in Lismore in northern New South Wales. It is nowhere near like the population you have but, as you said, that helps make the cultural and economic life. It is in the emotion, which is much richer and more diverse.

The reason that I am speaking in support of the motion is that it is something that of itself deserves to be supported. In the lead-up to the creation of the world's newest state, South Sudan, I had a fair bit to do with the diaspora in Australia. I had a friend who worked with the government of South Sudan's liaison office in Australia. They asked me for some assistance, and I worked with them by helping them with access to meetings with various departments and agencies, such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and AusAID. I helped them with contact with the Australian Electoral Commission and the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and the like in the lead-up to the new state coming into being. In addition, to formalise things, they had to set up a bank account. We might think that is easy, but it was not straightforward. There were a whole lot of formalities that had to happen around that because they are receiving public moneys and the like. I was able to assist them with that in a small way. I have an email here that I will read out:

Dear Janelle

On behalf of myself and the GOSS Liaison Mission Office in Australia and Oceania, I would like to take this opportunity to express our profound and heartfelt gratitude to you for your very active support that has ensured that the GOSS Liaison Mission Office in Australia establishes the first formal bank account in the Western world. We were also very thankful for your presence and the ongoing support that Barry Hanson has continued to offer us as he guides our steps during the process of establishing the account. Your commitment has enabled this mission to successfully achieve its first goal towards its main objective. Once again, please accept our sincere gratitude and appreciation.

Yours truly

Mariano Deng Ngor

Principal Liaison Officer

GOSS Liaison Mission Office Australia and New Zealand

It is something that I have never talked about, but tonight seemed the appropriate time to read that into the public record.

What has been going in the Sudan is an absolute tragedy. I listened to the member for Parramatta talking about the humanitarian situation, which the members for Riverina and Greenway also talked about, and it is just really awful. I know the extent to which the Australian government has been helping to try and address the human rights situation. I have looked at the reports on the actions that we have taken and at how we are working with the United Nations to address the human rights situation in the Sudan. I know that the government supports the call of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for 'an independent, thorough and objective inquiry' and for unhindered access for human rights monitors and humanitarian actors in Southern Kordofan, including the Nuba mountains.

We also know that the International Criminal Court has issued two warrants for the arrest of the head of state of the Sudan, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for the following crimes, as stated in the text of this motion:

… five counts of crimes against humanity (murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape), two counts of war crimes (attacking civilians and pillaging), and three counts of genocide …

As the member for Parramatta said, nobody should be able— (Time expired)

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