Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do have pleasure in joining with previous speakers in respect of this matter, and I particularly support the initiative of the member for Berowra, with whom I have travelled to Timor on a delegation visit. At the outset, I mention that the member for Perth, who unfortunately has not made her first speech in this House, would have liked to have spoken on this resolution because of a deep connection with the 2/2nd Commando Squadron in Perth, which essentially was a major ingredient of that force.

I think the debt Australia owes Timor and its people is perhaps even greater than we think. Rodney Lewis, a person known to both myself and the member for Berowra, has put forward the proposition that perhaps—I am not necessarily agreeing with this totally—the Japanese might not have intervened in Timor but for Australia's earlier movement in December 1941. He put forward this argument: if we look at the experience of Macau in the Second World War, as Portugal was neutral there was no move by the Japanese to seize Macau because of that neutrality. If you go back to the actual invasion by the Japanese and when the Australians intervened earlier, Portuguese dictator Salazar described the Australian action as an 'invasion'. The attitude of Portuguese authorities was quite complex. The governor originally cooperated with the Japanese and regarded himself, in the earlier period, as a prisoner of the Australians. It was only later that Australia handed arms to the Portuguese residents of Timor and that, in a later stage, they were interned by the Japanese. So if we look at the contribution of the Timorese people, and Australia's debt, it is perhaps even more enormous than earlier speakers may have suggested.

It might be very clear cut to us in Australia, but in much of Asia the issue of Japanese imperialism was more complex. In some countries the Japanese were able to personify themselves as anti-colonialist—that is, a force that would get rid of the British, Dutch, Portuguese et cetera colonialists. As well as that, obviously a racist element comes into this—that is, they were an Asian nation. So it is all the more incredible that the Timorese people did cooperate with Australian forces.

I have heard estimates that there were 40, 50 or 60 casualties a day. There are also estimates that the total number of Timorese who lost their lives might have actually gone up to 70,000. They provided very important information as well as food, accommodation and transport, with ponies et cetera. All of this was decisive. It is interesting to note that, while Australia stood on the sidelines and condoned—to put it mildly—the Indonesian occupation of the country for decades, the estimate is that one-third of the Timorese lost their lives during the Indonesian occupation, whether by deprivation and starvation or by direct murder. So that debt is indeed extreme.

It is noted that members of the Australian forces suffered from malaria, and some of those who were captured died in prisons. Reference was made to former Senator Carrick, but I remind this House that a former minister, Tom Uren, was also captured there and spent the same rather unattractive period in Changi. In the history of resistance to the Australian policy over the occupation of Timor, many, many former Australian servicemen played a crucial role in changing Australian public opinion around these matters because of the debt that they felt. These people had very different views of Australian politics. I recall one of them who was very active in the Democratic Labour Party, Mr Kenneally, who was remorseless in driving home this particular issue. We are talking about a situation where significant numbers of Japanese forces were tied down. Estimates are of four to five battalions and that they lost at least 2,000 soldiers in Timor. This was of such importance to Australia that Damien Parer was transported to Timor to make the film Men of Timor.

Today, as I say, I very much associate myself with the motion of the member for Berowra. When the member for Melbourne Ports commented about the situation in Timor, I thought it was a bit of an understatement when he said that it is not the most abundant of countries. I was shocked by the level of malnutrition and the condition of people I saw in Timor. We went to one project there where Japanese, Spanish and Australians were producing a very inhospitable gruel which only just keeps people alive in Timor. Australia has got a massive debt there. It should be respected. Something should be done in a very concrete way to make sure this is remembered.

Debate adjourned.

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