Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with other speakers in thanking the member for Fremantle for bringing forward this motion. It is a comprehensive motion which outlines in key point form a number of very serious issues facing the Rohingya within Burma but also goes to a number of specific actions that need to be supported by the Australian government and internationally to ensure that there is actually some effective change within that environment. A lot of thought has obviously gone into this motion.

I also visited Myanmar a couple of years ago with the member for Brisbane and others to view some of the aid programs that were being undertaken there by international organisations and also to try to get a sense of what was occurring within Burma with regard to the process of political change. I think we can all agree that there is no doubt that Burma has come from martial law and the extreme dictatorship of a military nature that had been in place since the sixties to, now, a situation where there have been genuine attempts to try to embrace democracy. It is a story that is still being written, but what we saw when we were there were certainly some movements in the right direction. I think we all encourage those movements, but the fact of the matter is there is still a long way to go. The journey the Burmese people are travelling and the Burmese political leadership are seeking to pursue has a long way to go.

Perhaps no group in Burmese society has further to go in terms of getting a fair go than the Rohingya. They are amongst a number of other ethnic minorities within greater Burma. The fact is that the circumstances faced by the Rohingya are particularly debilitating with regard to how they are treated. As other speakers have said, there is actually a situation where their ethnicity is not recognised. They have been recognised internationally as one of the largest stateless people in the international scene. They lack rights. They lack the capacity to be full members of civil society. They have been victim to persecution and to violence sometimes at the hands of extreme elements of the Buddhist community but often, sadly, in a situation where it is with a silent sense of approval or at the very least acquiescence from some elements of the Burmese government and civil society.

That is why it is important that international organisations are able to get into Burma and properly engage. That is why it is important that aid organisations can operate freely and safely within the areas where the Rohingya remain. That is why it is important that there is a conversation internationally but also an engagement with the Burmese leadership about why it is important that these issues are taken seriously. There is no doubt that under President Sein there have been steps taken in the right direction, and we welcome that and encourage it. But, as international citizens, we also have a responsibility to ensure that progress is ongoing and that those who have difficulty speaking for themselves are supported in international forums and in parliaments such as this. So I welcome the statements from members of the government about the actions that are being taken by the Foreign Minister and by the government as a whole with regard to aid and also raising issues with the Burmese leadership, but I think it is important that as a parliament we also make it clear that that is merely a step on the road.

The changes that are needed in terms of ensuring the Rohingya have the right to participate within Burmese society must take place. The opportunity for Rohingya families to be able to live, to gain an education, to celebrate their religion and also to be valuable members of civil society are all steps that needs to be taken. We need to combine encouragement to the Burmese leadership to keep moving forward and recognising the achievements that they have had so far with the fact that there must be an unwavering commitment from the international community to ensure that those who are not getting a fair go do get a fair go in Burma as it develops into the future. The member for Fremantle has done a credit to herself and to this House by raising these issues, by outlining what needs to be done and by ensuring that we encapsulate in a motion the sorts of actions that are required to ensure the Rohingya get a fair go.

See this speech in context