Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In rising to speak to the report of the official parliamentary delegation to Singapore and Indonesia from 28 October 2008 to 8 November 2008, I note that I had the pleasure of being a member of the delegation. Members of both the government and the opposition, led by the Speaker, had a particularly useful visit. We first went to Singapore. I might add that my remarks will be brief, as I know that the Speaker has already spoken quite extensively to the report, but I do feel that it is important, having been a member of the delegation, to record many of the things that I thought were useful for us to bring back to discussions here in Australia.

The first part of the tour, as the report sets out, was to Singapore. For me, one of the most important meetings we had was with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It was timely that we were there, because the effect of the global recession was starting to be felt very much in Singapore. What became evident was that there was a good working relationship between the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Reserve Bank here in Australia. One of the main levers that they use in their system rather than interest rates is the exchange rate. They went on to discuss with us why that was so.

The usual things that are important between Singapore and Australia were discussed, such as our defence relationship, which is in good condition. We also visited the war memorial at Kranji, which was a very moving thing to do. We had a small service there and the Speaker and I laid a wreath. Once again, one was struck by the enormous service and sacrifice that was given by not only the Australians who were there but also people who were part of the Allied endeavour through World War II. I think it is a remarkable continuance of the value that we place on the lives of those who served in that way and are buried there that this place is beautifully kept, there is always a sense of reverence and it is a totally moving experience.

From Singapore we went to Indonesia, and it was in a way a difficult time to be there because of the heightened discussion about the impending execution of the Bali bombers and the emotion that that brought up for us Australians as well as for the Indonesians. But we did have very successful meetings with the President of Indonesia. We had very good discussions with his vice president and also with the foreign minister. When I have previously been in Indonesia I have enjoyed meetings with the President and the foreign minister and I found on this occasion that there was a very comfortable relationship between our delegation and particularly the President and those with him, which I think augurs well for our relationship.

Of course, the financial crisis will hit them hard. It hit them hard when the Asian crisis occurred and they remembered that they were dealt with rather harshly. They learned lessons, though, in the way that they would respond and had a positive outlook on how they would deal with the impending difficulties.

We also had the opportunity to go to Kalimantan, which was for me really unexpected. Kalimantan is a place of importance in my memory, I suppose, as a place where many battles were fought during World War II and indeed a place where my father served. Nonetheless, it was a joyous occasion in that we seemed to be one of the first foreign delegations to visit Kalimantan, so their excitement at having a visit was really quite marked. We had the great pleasure of visiting a village and meeting with an extraordinary woman. She was a midwife and had a huge success rate in that she had lost neither a mother nor a baby, and this was not only of enormous importance to them but pretty impressive to us too.

There will be many items that people who are interested in the delegation’s activities can read in the very well presented report. I would encourage those people who are interested in developing our relationship with both Singapore and Indonesia to read the report because it is worth while and contains material which would be valuable in judging the strength of our bilateral relationships. I would like to conclude by thanking everybody who had anything to do with arranging that trip for us, both those here in Australia and those people in Singapore and Indonesia. I think it was a worthwhile trip and beneficial both to us and to the countries which we visited.

Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the report on the delegation’s visit to Singapore and Indonesia presented by the Speaker in the House, and I commend the comments already made by the members for Murray and Mackellar. I know the member for Blair was intending to speak on this report too. It was a committed delegation. I think the members were committed not only to the delegation itself but also the outcomes that were achieved—and to being part of achieving those outcomes, of course.

It was an important delegation. These two nations, Singapore and Indonesia, are of great significance to our country and the visit came at a time of great significance in the world. In that way, the spirit of discussion and dialogue was so terribly open and frank—surprisingly open and frank—because these are challenging times. To visit countries that are grappling with the same dilemmas as us, the same extreme economic situation that we find ourselves in, meant that all of us were so committed to policy development, policy ideas and the sharing of them. The level of open discussion surprised me. It was delightful to know the professionalism of these countries and their commitment to finding ways to resolve the dilemmas.

Singapore is, of course, a unique country—a very small city-nation that has had to be extremely resourceful and resilient. Although many would find some of the controls limiting and constraining, especially those of us who are particularly independent in our thinking, in Singapore you get to understand that that is a luxury that cannot always be afforded in terms of the critical economic viability of that country and what it depends upon. But I did find in discussions with Singaporean parliamentarians that their commitment to providing a high quality of life for all their citizens was the driver, and consequently their policies were absolutely honed to outcomes. I found, perhaps more than in any other country I have been to, that their policy not only reflects desired outcomes but is also, particularly, part of a strategic framework.

Their developments in water management were of interest to all the delegation, but for me the observation of a reservoir located in the CBD was quite astounding. The city of Newcastle, which I represent, experienced an extreme flood and storm situation in June of 2007, and internal flooding in that city was something that I suppose was never anticipated. But it is anticipated in Singapore. We are having more extreme weather, and to see a reservoir located in the CBD for that overflow and surge was quite revealing to me. I admire their engineering abilities and their resourcefulness. It was also interesting to visit a union. While it certainly is a constructed union representation group, I found no less commitment to representation for working people than I would find here. I found discussions with the Monetary Authority of Singapore quite illuminating as they came to terms with having to change their thinking about the economic situation.

As mentioned by the member for Mackellar, the visit to Kranji War Cemetery was very special. When you walk around that beautifully maintained and cared-for cemetery, you find that death does not take sides in war. It is very nice to see that all those who fell in battle, no matter what side they were on, have their graves marked and cared for. It is a small world. I always love it when I travel overseas and run into constituents from my electorate. Some of mine were there at Kranji. People from the Boeing picket line were there with their young niece to show her the world.

In Indonesia we started off, as the Speaker so rightly described, with a football match in which the member for Blair astounded us. The weather conditions were horrific, but what a man of stamina and resolve he is. We are very proud of him. I must say to the embassy staff who were playing in the team against a local newspaper: what aggressive girls they were! It was quite illuminating. I would say those things about the embassy staff in Indonesia because they have probably been tested more than most. They have been through terrible events: the bombing of an embassy and the crash of the aeroplane that saw so many of the staff affected. I found them the most amazing group of people. I pay special tribute to the ambassador and the staff and to the ambassador’s wife, who I know was particularly responsive in providing leadership during that air disaster.

Our meeting with the President of Indonesia, His Excellency Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was for me a highlight. I found a man committed to his nation’s development and his nation’s role in the region. I found him a very significant leader and I was very grateful to have the opportunity to share in his vision for Indonesia as an important country in our region. It is of high importance. I suppose we are all fairly devastated to know that, for a country that had such a high growth rate prior to this economic crisis and that was making such strides for its people, it will be even more difficult for it than for most.

I would also say, as my colleagues have, that to go to the province of Central Kalimantan was an absolute privilege. Jakarta was an astounding capital and city to visit, but to go out to a small community and meet with people on the ground was an absolute privilege. We were very pleased with some of the aid projects Australia is involved in, particularly the rehabilitation of the peat lands. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the efforts by the Borneo Orangutan Survival organisation for the orangutans.

These are challenges that have to be met, and they do not come without fairly high costs and commitments. We were pleased to see those attempts. I express my concern that, since we have been, there have been discussions about resuming palm oil plantations on peat lands. I think that is a great disappointment, but perhaps it is a sign of the times—people resorting to that for economic viability. It is the responsibility of all of us in the region to remember that these regions are the lungs of the world. We need to continue our commitment to assisting Indonesia in maintaining and restoring that capacity for the global environment.

We also attended a school—one of 1,000 schools Australia has built in a program of building 2,000. As a former educator I know the hard work that must have gone into that by all the staff. They were so proud. They looked pretty tired but they made sure there was maximum student involvement. The visit was an absolute pleasure. As the member for Mackellar said, we were the first parliamentary delegation to go to Central Kalimantan. We had an entourage that was probably unrivalled by anywhere that I have ever been to. It was a sign of their commitment to their region and their community.

We went to a Dayak village. It was only accessible by boat. It was a very beautiful place in that the people were coming to terms with the 21st century—the modern way of living. Yes, they had mobile phones but they still had a traditional culture that was as old as civilisation itself. To have little children following you around the village trying to give you lollies was quite a change. It was obviously a place of great community pride, and there was a real commitment to developing the prosperity of that region.

I also need to register my thanks, particularly to the Speaker. I have heard the previous speakers thank the speakers of both parliaments—Singapore and Indonesia. I want to also register my thanks to the High Commissioner to Singapore, the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia and to their staff. But I also want to thank the people here in Australia who assisted us. The Speaker, himself, excelled. If you have ever had the pleasure of travelling with the Speaker then you would know that he is a great ambassador for this nation. He certainly intrigued me in that he has kept records of every visit he has ever made to Indonesia—and there have been several—and he could call on those to recollect, for all of us, conversations and issues that were being dealt with then. That meant, I suppose, that a great deal of trust was extended to us.

As mentioned, it was a highly successful visit by a delegation committed to positive outcomes and to working very collaboratively and positively together in times that are challenging for our neighbours and ourselves. So I commend the report to the parliament.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also rise to speak in support of the report and to say what a privilege it was to serve on a parliamentary delegation of such bipartisan spirit and cooperation. It certainly indicates how members of this parliament, some of whom are vilified and criticised from time to time, can work constructively and well together to advance Australia’s best interests overseas. The goodwill and cooperation was clearly evident in the venues we went to, whether they were in Singapore, Kalimantan Tengah, Jakarta or various other locations.

There was certainly a great deal of cooperation with the local authorities, and I want to pay tribute to the Australian High Commissioner to Singapore, Mr Doug Chester, who actually assumed office, I think, on the day we arrived in Singapore, and his staff member Dr Lucinda Bell, who was just magnificent. She managed to find all the nooks and crannies all over Singapore. Her knowledge of the area is quite extraordinary. I think she has a doctorate in international law. One of the most interesting things about the trip to Singapore was when Dr Sharman Stone and I met with some professors of womens studies and talked about the role of women and domestic life and the role of migrant workers, who are also women. I think the member for Murray would agree with me that that was one of the fascinating insights into a society where there are many migrant workers. That society is very different from ours in its philosophy on the rights, roles and responsibilities of women, particularly indigenous women and foreigners.

With respect to Singapore, I have to say that the management of water is a big challenge for Australia and a big challenge for Singapore, for different reasons. I was interested to note that the public utilities board, which is under the ministry of environment and water resources and really is Singapore’s national water agency, has close contacts with the Queensland government. Queensland has been building a water grid at a cost of billions of dollars, a great initiative supported with federal government money as well. Much of South-East Queensland has been on level 6 water restrictions for a long time, so everyone drives around with dirty cars; that is the challenge of life in South-East Queensland. But the representatives from the ministry had close contacts. When I told them I was from Queensland, and represented Blair, which has the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant, they immediately lit up because they had been over there to look at the plant and thought it was a wonderful facility. Australia is leading the way. I am pleased to say we are cooperating with the water authorities in Singapore to help them. Despite its tropical climate and seasonal rainfall, Singapore has a very small catchment area. The Singaporean government have a fourfold strategy to deal with their long-term problems of water capture and to get long-term water into the area—water from the local catchment and desalinated water. They also have four plants producing what they call ‘NEWater’. We were given an opportunity to drink NEWater—15 per cent of Singapore’s water supply is NEWater. I have to say that it was great. I think the member for Mackellar actually met one of her constituents on that particular day, which lit up her face. She was very excited about that particular occurrence.

We also have close cooperation in terms of defence with Singapore. When they knew I was from Queensland and had the RAAF Base Amberley in my constituency, they were very keen to discuss issues of defence. Also, the National Trades Union Congress of Singapore represents 62 unions, six taxi associations, 12 social enterprises and four related organisations. Their tripartism is a bit different from what we would call the normal union operations in Australia, but they still retain that primary focus to advocate for and support workers. It is interesting—and those opposite, if I can be political for a sec, should note—that it is a very highly unionised workforce, comprising about 1,000 companies, and over 90 per cent of them have collective agreements. I say: hear, hear!

I want to thank very much those from the Singapore embassy who helped us enormously there. I have to say the highlight for me was the Indonesian aspect, and other speakers have talked about that. People-smuggling and illegal fishing is a real challenge for Australia. I am pleased to say that we are cooperating with the Indonesian authorities on this issue. Indonesia, their politicians and their people, recognise the great contribution Australia has made in terms of education. We have 15,000 Indonesian students enrolled in institutions here in Australia. That is an added contribution to our economy of $500 million. That is a lot of money they are contributing to the Australian economy.

It is good to see that the Rudd Labor government has implemented its election commitment of $62 million for a national Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools Program. The Indonesians are aware of that. They are very pleased to see that we are doing that. Our Australia-Indonesia Basic Education Program, which we saw the benefit of, is so worthy in the circumstances. It makes an appreciable difference in the lives of very poor children, boys and girls. It helps our neighbours enormously to educate their children in the way we would expect our children to be educated. Seeing the delight on the faces of these young people on the day that we visited, and also seeing the mirth when the Speaker tried to use his great Indonesian vocabulary, was quite extraordinary. They really are wonderful people.

The trip to the Dayak village was eye opening. To see the cooperation in the village, which is half Muslim and half Christian, shows that the people of the great monotheistic faiths can live together in happiness and harmony, and work together cooperatively in a community setting in isolated areas. There is no reason that people of different faiths cannot live happily and cooperatively in a multicultural society. That village, which is a very remote village, accessible only by a small river, is a perfect example of how society can evolve and change and benefit. It flies in the face of what is said by all those people who believe people of different cultures and faiths cannot live together. There were Javanese and people from other cultures there at the time, as well as the local Dayak people.

I think we are doing great work with respect to climate change over there. Visiting the peat swamps or peat lands of Kalimantan Tengah was an interesting experience. They are a unique form of wetlands. Peat consists of carbon-rich plant matter accumulated over millennia. It really acts as a carbon sink. The deforestation and drainage of the peat lands causes them to dry and results in the loss of carbon. We are talking about high greenhouse gas emissions. Those 22.5 million hectares of peat swamp forest represent about half of the total world habitat for orangutans. The fact that we are ensuring that vegetation is not destroyed is really good, but we have got to take greater steps in relation to orangutan preservation and protection. The Indonesians are doing a lot, but I think we should be thinking more and more about what we can do. We should make it part of our Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership, because they are inextricably linked: the destruction of the peat lands and forests in that area has a big impact on the natural environment and habitat of the orangutans. I would like to see that $30 million program expanded, if at all possible.

But I would also like to see the expansion of the sporting program. We have a number of Australians over there from the Institute of Sport helping the Indonesians. I would like to see Australia play Indonesia in soccer three times over two years. Wouldn’t that be great? We could call it the SBY cup or the Rudd cup. Wouldn’t that be terrific? I think that would be great. I commend the report.

Debate (on motion by Mr Ramsey) adjourned.