Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

It is quite interesting that the senator who is interjecting is so ill-read when it comes to what is actually going on in Russia at the moment. That is why it would be extremely useful to have the inquiry as I am suggesting it, because then we could actually test the allegations. From a number of academics in Sydney last week and a number of people from Russia who also work in Russia, there is now a considerable body of opinion to suggest that that is the way that the Putin regime operates.

I think the naivety that has been demonstrated by the government is reminiscent of former Prime Minister of Australia Pig Iron Bob—whom Prime Minister Howard wishes to emulate—who in 1938-39 when the waterside workers tried to ban the export of pig-iron to Japan overrode that. Of course, the pig-iron went to Japan with appalling consequences for Australia and in fact for the rest of the world. I would suggest that, as we have had Pig Iron Bob, our current Prime Minister could be known as ‘Yellowcake John’—emulating Pig Iron Bob in the dying days of his prime ministership.

I hope we will hear from the Labor Party in a moment. If it is true that there is until the middle of 2008 for a proper assessment of this Russian nuclear agreement, I hope the Labor Party will conduct, under this process, a proper assessment of this deal with the Russians such that the human rights ramifications are taken into account and not just the interests of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. We know that they have been talking to the Russians for some time about this particular text—in looking at the agreement it seems that it could easily facilitate the involvement of both those companies in mining uranium in Russia as well as here and also the involvement of private sector investment in the uranium enrichment facility in Angarsk. It could well be interesting because Russia under the current leadership has demonstrated no respect for the rule of law, whether it comes to human rights, civil rights or corporate law, as Shell discovered when it built a large pipeline only to have it nationalised after the event. The same has occurred with Khodorkovsky, who has been jailed and his Yukos assets nationalised. He remains in prison in Russia with what are trumped-up charges such that the Swiss federal court recently has said that it will not provide information to the Russians because it is clearly a politically motivated trial to keep him in jail until after the Duma elections and the presidential elections next year.

So we have an appalling pattern emerging in Russia. President Putin has brought in a new crime of extremism, and it is under that crime that a number of journalists have been found guilty. We know that at least 14 journalists have been murdered in Russia since Putin came to power and to this day there are suggestions that up to 21 have been murdered. Putin has also brought in a law to say that it is legal to kill an enemy of the state outside Russia, which means the murder of Litvinenko becomes a state sanctioned act of violence under the Putin regime. That is a matter of fact.

Only last week I met with Grigory Pasko just before he left to go back to Russia. He was terrified. He was the journalist who reported the dumping of nuclear waste from Russia into the Pacific. He is now a declared enemy of the state. That is the kind of behaviour that is going on under President Putin. It is extremely sobering to consider what is happening there and then look at the political process where President Putin has moved to remove the democratic election of governors. They are now all appointed by the state. We also have a change to the electoral laws that prevent other political parties being able to contest the elections there because suddenly they do not meet the new requirements.

All of these things are actually occurring in Russia at the moment and it has been recognised by the European Union, which on 18 May 2007 passed a long resolution in which it expressed its deep concern about:

... the use of force by the Russian authorities against peaceful anti-government demonstrators in Moscow and St Petersburg ...

And stressed:

... that freedom of speech and the right of assembly are fundamental human rights ...

In fact, the British ambassador to Russia has been treated appallingly because he stood up for free speech and human rights when he addressed a conference in Russia. The Australian ambassador has not shown the same level of courage in terms of speaking out on these issues, and I urge the government to do so.

The Europeans include in their treaties obligations about civil rights and human rights. Have a look at the European treaties that they have entered into. They incorporate into those treaties those issues. In fact, Don Rothwell from the ANU in a critique of the government’s proposed arrangements says that there should be conditionality clauses at the very least—making the treaty conditional upon human rights.