Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) on 2 November 2023, Australia with 186 other member states again voted for the United Nations General Assembly resolution against the United States' longstanding economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba;

(b) only two member states have voted consistently against the resolution since it was first introduced in 1992, demonstrating overwhelming international support for the end of the embargo; and

(c) the embargo has unfairly hindered the development of the Cuban economy, created decades of economic hardship and has had a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of the Cuban people;

(2) further notes that the embargo:

(a) constitutes a serious and systemic violation of the norms of international law and the Charter of the United Nations;

(b) is not conducive to friendly relations and cooperation between nations and peoples, and it directly affects the development of the Cuban economy and its people; and

(c) impedes the ability of Australian citizens to trade bilaterally;

(3) recognises that sustained international pressure will be one of the most influential methods of ending this enduring and unfair embargo; and

(4) reaffirms Australia's support for an end to the embargo.

I rise to speak on this motion moved in my name, and I acknowledge the presence of Her Excellency Mrs Tanieris Dieguez La O.

For 62 years the Cuban people have been subject to an unfair embargo on their economy, their industry and their society. This embargo, proclaimed by the President of the United States in 1962, was intended to isolate the then government of Cuba, reduce a perceived threat of communism and destabilise the country. Nineteen-sixty-two was a different time. Governments have changed, yet the embargo is still in place. The tensions between Washington and Havana remain unresolved, and the Cuban people continue to bear the brunt of the US sanctions, making daily life harder for Cuban families.

Cuba is currently going through the worst economic crisis in 30 years. Falling wages, regular power outages and a deterioration of public services mean that Cuban people are suffering. The embargo has contributed significantly to this situation. It placed a freeze on all trade to and from Cuba, including the US importation of sugar from Cuba, which was a huge industry at the time, and prevented Cuba from purchasing food and medicines from the US. It continues to prevent US businesses and businesses that are organised under US law or majority owned by US citizens from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It impedes bilateral trade with any country that also trades with the US—including with Australia, which has no sanctions or measures against Cuba that restrict trade or investment—and it prevents the free movement of people from all nations between the US and Cuba.

Often described as a form of economic warfare, the embargo has endured through numerous iterations and US presidential administrations. For Cuba, whose economy in 1962 greatly depended on trade with the US, this has meant an established $130 billion economic loss since the embargo began. It has kept the Cuban people economically isolated and unable to access the benefits of free enterprise and global trade; has denied access to lower-cost goods, including food and life-saving medicines; and has had a significant negative impact on the health, wellbeing and opportunities of the Cuban people.

Since 1992, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted a non-binding resolution calling for an end to the embargo. Each year, the resolution has had overwhelming support from the international community, including last year, when 187 of the 190 member states, together with Australia, voted for the ending of the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America on Cuba.

Across both sides of politics, Australia has consistently expressed its opposition to the embargo, on the basis that, while the Australian government, whoever it might be at the time, doesn't endorse internal policies for Cuba, the embargo affects 'the sovereignty of other states, the legitimate interests of entities or persons under their jurisdiction, as well as freedom of trade and navigation'. We recognise that this embargo is 'not justified by the principles of international law and comity'.

In the debate on the UN motion, a number of member states also pointed out that the embargo runs counter to the charter of the United Nations and undermines faith in multilateralism. Australia and Cuba have good and enduring diplomatic relations. We have publicly committed to bilateral agreements in the areas of sport, diplomacy and migration, subject to the lifting of the embargo. Through the Direct Aid Program, we support projects to empower women, girls, and disadvantaged and marginalised groups in Cuba, and support education and health outcomes. Australia has worked with Cuba to support the integration of Cuban trained doctors into the Pacific health system, and we note future opportunities to work together in areas of resources, skills, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, tourism and agriculture. Through our embassy in Mexico we support Australian investors who want to do trade with Cuba to navigate the tricky political, economic and regulatory environments.

The US embargo against Cuba has been going on for more than six decades, and it's considered the most enduring trade embargo in modern history. It's estimated that around 80 per cent of Cubans don't recall a time when the embargo was not in place. They don't recall a time when their country had the autonomy to operate according to international law as it should. They don't recall a time when Cubans had prosperity, opportunity and a future free from economic constraint. It's time for this embargo to end, and I call on the House to support this motion.

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