David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Malaysia from 10 to 17 April and Japan from 17 to 22 April 2006. The visit of the Australian parliamentary delegation to Malaysia and Japan was significant for a number of reasons. It has been some time since a delegation visited these countries and, in particular, the last official parliamentary delegation visit to Malaysia was in 1998. The relationships with both countries, for differing reasons, are enormously important to Australia and the visit provided the opportunity to enhance our already strong connections with each country. The delegation received a very warm welcome in both countries and was treated very generously by the parliaments in Malaysia and Japan. On behalf of the delegation, I would like to thank the host parliaments and their presiding officers for their hospitality and the very interesting nature of the programs they organised.

The strength of Australia’s relationship with Malaysia is underpinned by the links developed as a result of the 250,000 Malaysians who are alumni of Australian educational institutions. Many of these are now in senior roles in Malaysia, creating a strong basis for mutual understanding and friendship. Trade and investment have now become an important element in the relationship, with Malaysia being Australia’s second largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth largest trading partner overall. The delegation considers there are further opportunities for trade and investment to expand, particularly for Australian companies in Malaysia.

Australia’s bilateral relationship with Japan is both longstanding and very strong. This delegation visit took place as part of the Australia-Japan Year of Exchange which commemorates the 1976 signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between our two countries. The basis for the relationship has been the very strong trading connection, with Japan being Australia’s largest trading partner for more than 40 years. The relationship has broadened and deepened and now encompasses defence and security relationships, cultural and people-to-people ties and a strong mutual interest in regional issues. Whilst in Japan, the delegation reiterated strongly the message which the Prime Minister has conveyed, that Australia has no greater friend in Asia than Japan. The delegation was able to explore a number of the regional issues which are foremost in the minds of the Japanese.

In relation to both Malaysia and Japan, Australia is in various stages of negotiations to conclude free trade agreements. The delegation found there was considerable interest in, and support for, free trade agreements with Australia in both countries. The delegation urges the Australian government to pursue this interest to a successful conclusion as it will be to our mutual benefit to do so. The delegation also recommends that the opportunities for Malaysian parliamentarians and senior public servants to visit Australia continue and that there is further promotion to Australian businesses of trade and investment opportunities in Malaysia.

Finally, the delegation had the opportunity in both Malaysia and Japan to recognise different aspects of the history of the Second World War. They were both the most moving experiences for the delegation during the visit. In Malaysia, the delegation visited the Sandakan Memorial Park in eastern Sabah, which was the location of a Japanese prisoner of war camp for Australian and British troops. As a result of the brutality of their treatment both in Sandakan and on forced marches into the interior of Borneo, only six of the Australian POWs survived to the end of the war.

In Japan, the delegation visited Hiroshima, one of the two Japanese cities devastated by an atomic bomb towards the end of the war in the Pacific. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Memorial Monument of Hiroshima, which the delegation visited, provide a lasting reminder of the devastation which can be caused by nuclear weapons. The delegation recommends that Australian cities and local governments consider becoming involved in a Mayors for Peace program which has been promoted by Hiroshima city since 1982.

I would like to thank my fellow delegation members for their support and company during the visit, and I particularly thank the deputy delegation leader, the member for Corio, Mr Gavan O’Connor. On behalf of the delegation I would also like to thank all of those who assisted with the visit, including officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and of the Parliamentary Library for their briefings. Thanks also to the High Commissioner in Malaysia, His Excellency Mr James Wise, and his staff, particularly Ms Clair Elias, for their assistance and the Ambassador to Japan, His Excellency Mr Murray McLean, and his staff, particularly Ms Catherine Wallace, for their assistance. Finally, I thank the delegation secretary, Mr David Elder, for his diligent support and assistance with the visit.

Gavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, may I take the opportunity to endorse your remarks on the visit this year of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Malaysia and Japan. In my years in this parliament I have been on several delegations and, without any reflection on those delegations or their output, this was the best that I have been a part of. I congratulate you on leading a very successful delegation to two increasingly important countries in our region. Your leadership and diplomacy skills were to the fore throughout the time the delegation was away.

I also congratulate other members of the delegation, from right across the political spectrum, who conducted themselves very professionally throughout the visit. The hallmark of this delegation’s visits was its unity and sense of purpose in advancing Australia’s interests in the region. In this parliament, members and senators come in for a lot of criticism for the partisan way in which political issues are often played out in both chambers. It certainly was not the case with this delegation from across the political spectrum. Egos were left at home, as were the partisan political divisions that often occur in this place. This was a focused delegation, and the feedback that I have received only reinforces that point of view.

I would like to particularly thank the secretary to the delegation, David Elder, for the terrific organisational and other work that he did on our behalf. I also thank the Ambassador to Japan, Murray McLean, the High Commissioner to Malaysia, James Wise, and their staff for the excellent support that the delegation received while we were away from Australia.

As Mr Speaker pointed out, both Malaysia and Japan are increasingly important to this nation and to the region. We were fortunate enough to hold discussions in both countries with a range of ministers, parliamentarians, business leaders and members of the community. This made it a very worthwhile exercise for the Australian delegation. A hallmark was the interchange between the delegation and parliamentarians in these countries. The open and frank discussions reinforced the impression that many in Asia have—that Australians speak their minds but in a way that appreciates the sensitivities of the nations involved.

Malaysia is a multicultural society; it has significant Malay and Indian populations. We found a willingness on the part of the Malaysians to engage with us politically in the post-Mahathir era and to build on the enormous relationships that already exist in a commercial, cultural and personal sense, given that some one-quarter of a million Malaysians have been educated in Australia. Malaysia is an excellent springboard for Australia to conduct its relationships with the two emerging giants of Asia: China and India.

Mr Speaker, your words also reflect the state of the relationship with Japan. There is no more important relationship in the region for Australia than the one with Japan. That was a message that we sent to Japan, and it was a message well received. Australia, China and Japan must come to grips with the significant issues in the region—the issues of Taiwan and North Korea and various commercial, economic and cultural issues are very important to Australia, Japan and Malaysia. These all got a very frank airing during our visit. As I have explained, the interaction with parliamentarians from Malaysia and Japan was a highlight. The visits to Sandakan and Hiroshima had an extraordinary impact on the delegation and on those who accompanied us.

This was also an extraordinary experience for the spouses who accompanied us on the delegation. It was a delegation visit that demonstrated unity among the parliamentarians and their spouses. I was honoured to be a part of it. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for your generous leadership and for the opportunities provided to members of the Labor Party on that delegation to participate.