Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The Australian government is not in a position to support the motion in its current form. The Australian government again places on record its objection to dealing with complex international matters such as the one before us by means of formal motions. Such motions are, as people have heard me say before, blunt instruments. They force parties into black-and-white choices: support or oppose. They do not lend themselves to the nuances which are so necessary in the area of policy. Furthermore, they are too easily misinterpreted by some audiences as statements of policy by the national government. We will not support motions in the Senate unless we are completely satisfied with their content.

The Australian government recognises that at one level this motion extends condolences at the time of a death. It also addresses a substantial policy issue, namely Papua and West Papua. Australia respects Indonesia’s territorial integrity including its sovereignty over Papua and West Papua. Effective implementation of special autonomy and development of the region is the best path to improving the situation in Papua and West Papua. We continue to urge Indonesia to investigate any allegations of human rights abuses and to hold the perpetrators to account. The Australian government continues to raise with Indonesia the importance of access to Papua and West Papua for credible observers, including non-government organisations and journalists.