Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I would have thought you would have been struck by the directness of the information conveyed in this answer. Moreover, I can convey that that request for a visit by our ambassador is being made today, possibly while we debate this matter in the Senate. Secondly, I can reveal to the Senate that the deputy head of mission, who today is visiting Sichuan Province, is making today a request to the Sichuan Foreign Affairs Office to inspect Tibetan establishments in that province, again to investigate the grievances that have given rise to these extreme and distressing forms of protest. Moreover, I can reveal to the Senate that our ambassador in Beijing is making an application today to have permission granted for a delegation of our Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to go to Tibet to investigate these things themselves. I am very grateful for the question because it has given me an opportunity to share these recent initiatives with the house.