Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence, I would also like to speak on the outcomes of the delegation, which I had the privilege of joining between 7 and 11 November 2011. The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade visited Timor Leste and Indonesia in order to have discussions with their national parliamentarians and to deepen the connection and understanding between our respective countries. The visit to Indonesia followed shortly after the suspension of the Northern Australian live cattle trade with Indonesia, and during the focus on the plight of young Indonesian fishermen who had been manning people smuggler vessels and have consequently ended up in detention in Australia, hence there was an expectation of lively discussion. We were pleased to find that, notwithstanding these serious matters, such is the strength of our relationship with Indonesia, with our counterparts as members of parliament and officials, that we were able to continue our dialogue quite openly on these, as well as a range of other important matters. These included our trade relationships, our foreign aid contributions, human rights and democracy, climate change responses, counter-terrorism initiatives and the development of the justice sector.

In Timor Leste, we were briefed on the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. We were particularly concerned that we could support them with volunteers or observers as they aim to have a free and transparent election.

We also wanted to talk about the exiting of the UN personnel, given that the UN mandate was expiring shortly, the country's development challenges and the efficacy of Australia's foreign aid contributions. We are in fact Timor-Leste's largest bilateral aid donor, contributing the equivalent of A$104.2 million in 2011-12. In the period from 1999 to June 2011, Australia donated $1.04 billion in emergency and developmental aid to Timor-Leste, so clearly it is most important that that aid is properly targeted and that it responds to the greatest needs of the country.

When in Timor-Leste, we were able to also focus on our combined efforts to combat illegal fishing, and to promote tourism and education exchanges. We looked very carefully at the recent investments in some fishing vessels and, as we stood on the wharf and heard about the trials and tribulations associated with manning those vessels and having the resources to combat illegal fishing, we shared their concerns, including the fact that the pillaging of their fisheries, a rich natural resource, needs to be addressed urgently. In addition, they need greater support to develop their great diving prospects for tourism, and education exchanges between our two countries need to continue, as we were able to see how valuable they could be.

We were keen to hear how the country aims to meet the challenge of having some 50 per cent of its population under 19, given the poverty, poor nutrition and unemployment or underemployment that typically impacts on the smaller populations away from the capital of Dili. There were also issues to be discussed in relation to the Greater Sunrise gas fields resource and associated infrastructure, a matter of great interest to both of our two countries. We had full and frank discussions about the location of that infrastructure and how Timor-Leste intended to make sure that the royalties flowing from their gas fields are used for the betterment of future generations, not just for the here and now.

One of the highlights of the time I had in Timor-Leste was when I went with the deputy chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade—that is, the member for Gilmore, Ms Jo Gash—up to a very small village which had received support from some of her own constituents in the form of solar energy panels. Despite the very poor soils and low-level subsistence agriculture that was sustaining that village, they met us with a huge feast and some beautiful woven tokens of their friendship. The children sang songs and the leaders of the village made impassioned speeches. As the rain fell down gently, I could not help but remember how generous those communities had been in the Second World War, when they helped our soldiers to hide and then counter the Japanese invasion. These small villages continue to have real issues with poor nutrition, and the stunting of their children's growth is evident. It was an important delegation. (Time expired)

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