Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the outset I seek leave to amend my own motion by omitting paragraph (2) and replacing it with a new paragraph as circulated in my name:

(2) shows concern at recent violence and reports of human rights violations in Bangladesh, expresses regret at the loss of life and injuries involved, and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to advocate non-violence; and

Leave granted.

One of the great privileges I have enjoyed as a member of parliament over the past few years has been the opportunity to get out amongst the various communities in the Chifley electorate, to get to know how people who have come to call Australia home have set up their new lives and to hear their stories. One such community, relatively small in number but undeniably big in spirit, is the Bangladeshi community.

Perhaps because of the circumstances they have left behind, the Bangladeshi community, I have found, is particularly community minded and very generous in spirit. The community often gets together to raise funds to send back to Bangladesh to assist those in less fortunate circumstances and help those affected by issues that I want to raise tonight, but they also extend that generosity to their new home, Australia.

I mention at this point the energetic contribution of Dr Abdul Haq, who each year hosts the Biggest Morning Tea at Blacktown's Village Green. I have been to a number of these events now and I have seen how the community has rallied to raise much-needed money to fund the Cancer Council's vital research, prevention programs and support services. My colleagues the members for Parramatta and Greenway have also attended and supported these functions, and we have also been delighted to sample the spread of Bangladeshi food and warm hospitality.

Dr Haq and the community have also been active in raising funds for those in need back in Bangladesh. I particularly want to commend the community for the money they have helped raise to lift the quality of health care and services in Bangladesh. Their latest project has been focused on harnessing local donations to support the construction of a new hospital—a sizable venture but one they are determined to see become reality. Another person I have been pleased to meet with is Dr Nadis Barnu, an environmental scientist who lives in the electorate of Chifley and who, along with her work in this field, hosts a community radio program on 2SWR, based in Blacktown. The program has run since 2004 and is called the Voice of Bangladesh. Through this program—and I have had the pleasure of participating in the program—Dr Barnu works to raise awareness of various sociocultural issues such as women's rights, domestic violence, multiculturalism and the value of civic participation.

Through my connection with the community, I have also come to know of some of the circumstances which resulted in Bangladeshis leaving their homeland to make a new life for themselves in Australia. This nation of over 160 million people only came into being in 1971, but has struggled with division and terrible conflict over the decades.

As a country that is often subjected to terrible flooding, it is challenged by the impact of climate change. Despite the economy growing between five and six per cent per year since 1996, political instability, massive problems with income disparity, infrastructure deficiencies and unreliable power supply have all combined to hold back this nation from what it can truly be. Given these circumstances, the best thing that could help ensure Bangladesh to lift itself from its economic and social challenge is widespread political and economic reform.

The Bangladeshi Australians I have spoken with express their alarm at human rights violations that have occurred, and in particular war crimes that have been committed in conflicts past. As is often the case, the instance of true reconciliation within nations torn by fierce conflict can only happen in part with a commitment to recognise and acknowledge these events and also to hold to account those who have clearly crossed the line of humanity and engaged in truly horrific acts.

The Bangladeshi government that came to power in 2009 set up tribunals to deal with these war crimes, and longstanding tensions have re-emerged in the community dating back to the bitter war of independence. While one can appreciate why this might occur, Bangladesh cannot afford to move away from the need to continue the pursuit of justice for the benefit of longer term reconciliation. I remain concerned by the reports I hear, particularly those that have claimed that in the last few weeks over 140 people have been shot dead, with about 25,000 opposition leaders and activists implicated in different cases and arrested. These are matters of great concern, and there can be no winners in the current political climate. I call on all parties to advocate restraint and nonviolence to ensure that reconciliation can occur in a country that has been marred by conflict.

Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the amendment seconded?

Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the amendment and reserve my right to continue my remarks later.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome this opportunity to speak to the motion as amended. Having undertaken some study of the history of the subcontinent, I can understand that the same dramas and the same conflicts that have afflicted the entire subcontinent have come to exact a terrible toll on Bangladesh. The partition of India and Pakistan, which originally included an East Pakistan, resulted in lots of enmity. In particular, post partition the way in which so much of the political power and resources were centred in the west of Pakistan gave rise to dramas, problems and resentment from the east. That is a short synopsis of how in 1971 there was a war of independence.

What resulted from that war and the subsequent instability between 1971 and 1991, when democracy was restored, was great enmity between the sides: the Awami League, which is the current government of Bangladesh, and the Jamaat-e-Islami. The current government has established an international crimes tribunal. It is no great surprise that people are keen to see someone held to account for the excesses and the terrible things that occurred, even though it has been many years since they occurred in the liberation war in 1971. What we have seen are allegations of great violence enacted by the security forces, suggestions that the Awami League has been involved as well, and the counter allegations that Jamaat-e-Islami has reacted or at least egged on its supporters to push back.

The reason there has been a lack of confidence in the international crimes tribunal set up by the Awami League is that it has been alleged that when the Awami League has been faced with results that it did not agree with it put forward amendments within the parliament for the ICT law to be changed to allow prosecution to appeal for sentences that have been passed and to decrease the time for an appeal to be completed. So they have changed the rules, after having originally come up with the laws to support the International Crimes Tribunal. But, faced with verdicts they did not agree with, the government party has then decided to change; to appease their supporters and to support their version of events, they decided to bring forward these amendments.

That of course has received widespread international criticism. It is important that, when faced with these fairly young democracies, they realise that there is a need for the rule of law to be upheld and that if indeed you do not like the result then you have to live with the fact that the judiciary has been given the opportunity to pass judgement on these matters. Once the judgement has been passed, it is not right that it be revisited in an attempt to get a result that they think is politically desirable.

Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am afraid there are different analyses to that of the previous speaker regarding what is going on in Bangladesh at the moment. I adhere to Amnesty International's analysis of 'a wave of violent attacks against Bangladesh's Hindu minority'. I am concerned at the vandalism and destruction of 40 temples and the destruction of shops and houses. To quote Amnesty International, the situation of the Hindu minority 'is at extreme risk'. Amnesty has further commented that the government must ensure that they receive the protection they need. We have a situation where courageous students at Jahangirnagar University have joined with people of all religions to resist this latest onslaught.

I am not for a moment saying that the International Crimes Tribunal is perfect. There was the dismissal of a previous judge of the tribunal because of his improper consultations with the prosecuting side of the case. Similarly, there have been other issues. However, after the death sentence was placed on Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Jamaat-i-Islami, an extreme Islamist group that has a very bad track record within the country, went on what was essentially a campaign of attacks upon minorities.

Khaleda Zia, the opposition BNP leader, has certainly lifted the heat in this dispute by speaking of 'genocide'. In Bangladeshi politics, the use of this language refers very much to the 1971 struggle for independence. As I said, I do not for a moment say that this crimes tribunal has been a perfect instrument. I totally oppose the death penalty as I do in its instigation in this case. However, we have a situation where things are accelerating. What worries me even further are recent pronouncements by the BJP in India, where they are utilising the events in Bangladesh to say that this has been totally instigated by the Pakistani government and its security apparatus the ISI, saying that they are behind the scenes—and I do not accept that for a moment, but this is typical of the escalation that can occur in these situations. The Economist of 9 March stated that the opposition BNP was 'behaving more like an insurgency than a political party'. Children are being 'as human shields' and the eyes have been gouged out of policeman.

I do not for a moment defend excesses by civilian police forces; however, we have a situation where there have been attacks on police stations throughout the country. We have a situation where minorities are being assailed. At the end of the day, I do not care if somebody is a leader of a political party and that he is a religious leader. I do not care what his current position is; the situation is that this country should investigate fully those people guilty of murder, abduction, rape, torture and persecution during the heroic struggle for independence in 1971. Equally of course, we have on the other side of the fence, dissatisfaction by some people aligned with the Awami League that Molla only got a court sentence.

We have situations where many of the attacks that have occurred on the Hindu minority are followed immediately after Jamaat-i-Islami demonstrations. So you have a big rally; you all get around protesting about this death sentence; and then coincidentally, strangely, a few moments later, the Hindus are attacked, et cetera.

I am proud to be the chair of the Bangladeshi Friendship Group. My electorate has Sydney's greatest concentration of Bangladeshis. I associate with all of them, regardless of their religious beliefs, and I have had significant number of Muslims ringing me, expressing concern at the current situation. We have a situation where the Jamaat-e-Islamists and the extreme measures they are undertaking endanger democracy in the country. They endanger the secular history of the country, and it is important that I put on the record tonight that this is not simply an attempt by the Awami League to somehow manipulate some upcoming election. It has nothing to do with that whatsoever. The real crisis in the country is that the BNP has unfortunately associated itself with this extreme militancy, this attack on civil institutions and this defence of people who are war criminals.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this motion moved by the member for Chifley, and I congratulate him for it. The member's motion notes, in its first paragraph:

(1) the tremendous contributions of Australia’s Bangladeshi community;

The paragraph which is amended, which I also support, is:

(2) shows concern at recent violence and reports of human rights violations in Bangladesh, expresses regret at the loss of life and injuries involved, and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to advocate non-violence;

The third paragraph is:

(3) encourages the Australian Government to engage with the Bangladeshi Government to progress democratic reform within that country.

According to our 2006 census, there are around 20,000 Bangladeshis in Australia, and many Australians of Bangladeshi origin have found their homes in Sydney and Melbourne, where the larger communities are found. Bangladeshi Australians have certainly made a tremendous contribution to our nation, as correctly noted in this motion, and have seamlessly entered into and participated in the broader Australian community.

The Australian and Bangladeshi people share a history of the Commonwealth, not to mention a love for cricket. They say that the captain of the Australian cricket team is one of the most important jobs in our nation. No doubt this is also the case of the Bangladeshi cricket captain. Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council, gaining status as a full test-playing nation in the year 2000, the 10th nation to achieve this status, with Bangladesh playing their first test match against India in 2000 in their capital, Dhaka.

The region of Bengal is one of the most densely populated regions on the earth, with a population density exceeding 900 people per square kilometre. Most of the Bengal region lies in the Ganges Delta, the world's largest delta. The southern part of the delta lies in UNESCO heritage-listed lands, the largest mangrove forest in the world and the home of the Bengal tiger.

Our two nations are fostering a growing economic relationship, but our two economies are only the infancy stage of our growing trade links. Our exports to Bangladesh for the last year were $542 million, consisting mainly of fertilisers, cotton, vegetables and wheat, while the total value of imports in Australian currency increased from $190 million in 2008 to $305 million last year, an increase of 156 per cent in just three years. As a good neighbour in our region, Australia provides duty-free and quota-free access on all imports from Bangladesh.

The country does face a number of challenges, including poverty and population pressures, but it has been noted by the international community for its progress on the Human Development Index. The country has greatly increased life expectancy, achieved gender parity in education, reduced population growth and improved maternal child health. However, Human Rights Watch, in an article titled 'Bangladesh: Government Backtracks on Rights: Year Marked By Flawed Trials, Continued Impunity, Pressure on NGOs', discussed its World Report 2013, which was handed down on 1 February this year and paints a worrying and concerning picture of the conditions faced on the ground in Bangladesh. Sadly, it also painted a picture of 2012 as being a year in which the human rights situation went backwards, obviously a concerning trend.

However, there is a tale of hope in the story for Bangladesh. We see a growing economy along with the saplings of democracy that need to be nurtured. As a responsible neighbour in our region, we must be forthright in encouraging and demanding the government of Bangladesh to do better. They only need to look to themselves for inspiration. Consider the story of Nobel peace prize laureate Mohammed Younis, the Bangladeshi banker and economist who received the Nobel Prize for efforts through microcredit to create economic and social development. He was the first Bangladeshi to win this prestigious award.

In summary, we do note the tremendous contribution of the Bangladeshi community here in Australia. However, we are concerned about the violations of human rights currently in that country and as the Australian government we should use our voice to encourage the Bangladeshi government to progress the democratic reform as soon as possible.

Debate adjourned.