Chris Pearce (Aston, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in the parliament to raise a very important issue this morning. As you would know, Madam Deputy Speaker, the confronting nature of the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe has gripped the soul of every decent-natured observer. Considering the horrific genocides that have plagued the African continent over the last century, I believe those of us who care for human rights must be the first not only to speak up but to provide, if you like, a helping hand to those peoples who are most in need.

Australians, of course, have a very proud history of providing aid and succour to those peoples whose hardship transcends what can be dismissed as simply ‘a time of need’. As the President of Indonesia observed when Australia provided $1 billion in funds after the devastating tsunami that swept the Indonesian coast in 2004, Australians punch above our weight when giving humanitarian aid to other nations. There is no partisan or ideological divide when it comes to the generosity of the Australian people. Perhaps, as a nation of people who have done it tough in the past, we are quick to offer a helping hand to states in their moments of crisis.

It was in that vein that I wrote months ago to the Prime Minister regarding the humanitarian crisis currently taking place in Zimbabwe and the devastating erosion of democracy in that country. It is widely accepted in the international community that the situation has now reached crisis point and that no stone can be left unturned to help alleviate the suffering of the people and to provide the hope of real democracy in Zimbabwe. Given the seriousness of the situation, I wrote to the Prime Minister saying that Australia must do more than we have done to help the people of Zimbabwe. To this end, in the letter I requested that the Prime Minister appoint or consider appointing Malcolm Fraser as a special envoy to travel to Zimbabwe to work with like-minded people to convince Robert Mugabe to embrace real democracy. The outcome would be to enable a free and fair election to take place.

As those in this place would be well aware, Mr Fraser has had a long-standing relationship with Robert Mugabe and was crucial in both Zimbabwe gaining independence and Robert Mugabe becoming its president. It is a matter of public record that Robert Mugabe has held Mr Fraser in high regard. I believe it is the shared history between Mr Fraser and Robert Mugabe that may provide fellow concerned nations with a unique avenue for meaningful dialogue. Given this shared history over many years, Mr Fraser’s words could carry significant weight with Robert Mugabe.

In finishing my letter, I asked the Prime Minister to pursue lateral approaches in order to help the people of Zimbabwe, as international actions to date have not been successful. The action that I pursued in my letter was with all due respect for the Prime Minister’s high office and with the best interests of the Zimbabwean people uppermost in my mind.

The letter was dated 24 June this year and I had it hand-delivered on the same day to the Prime Minister’s office here in Parliament House. The following day a journalist asked our Minister for Foreign Affairs about my suggestion. While the minister considered it a long shot, he did note that he was aware of my proposal. It has now been 73 days since Prime Minister Rudd received my letter. Over two months have passed and I have yet to receive an acknowledgement of receipt of my letter, let alone a considered response. The only response I have had from the Rudd government has been the answer given by the foreign affairs minister to a journalist’s question. So I want to thank the minister and Sky News for delivering a response, of sorts, to my sincere communication with the Prime Minister.

I am not going to take this opportunity to rake over the stories of inefficiency within the Prime Minister’s office. Those matters of fact are already on the public record. What I do wish to add to the public record is this concern: when a federal member of parliament writes to the Prime Minister on a matter of high principle and does not receive so much as an acknowledgement of said communication, one may ask what hope the so-called working families have of ever being heard or considered by Prime Minister Rudd. So today I ask the Prime Minister to please respond to my letter. I conclude with the hope that the current Prime Minister’s successor displays a greater interest in the views and charitable intent of the Australian people.