John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There was a time when Australia was a country known for its compassion and hospitality. It was a place to which many turned for assistance and refuge. We welcomed displaced persons from Europe after the Second World War, and we welcomed subsequent waves of refugees. How many in this House know that in the 1960s we welcomed religious refugees from Poland, and Czech refugees from the crushing of the Prague Spring? We are all aware of the huge effort this country put into welcoming refugees from Vietnam and our generosity towards Chinese students after the Tiananmen Square repressions. Australians have traditionally been generous contributors of funds to overseas trouble spots and encouraged their country to do the same. There was a time when we could be proud of our implementation and support of human rights.

Australia's political leadership continues to grandstand on our commitment towards human rights, but the reality is different. In recent years there has been a noticeable hardening of attitudes. The most obvious is the attitude of successive governments towards the plight of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat. Never mind that they make up such a small percentage of the refugees we accept in this country and a tiny percentage of our total migrant intake.

What is particularly reprehensible is that we remain untouched by the tragedy of their stories. We acknowledge that their homelands are war-torn and the ruling regimes often maintain peace through persecution. Why else would we commit our defence forces to try and establish some order in the very places they are fleeing? Yet, upon arrival on our shores, we place them in situations of continuing hardship. We demonise them and judge them from our lives of comfort and privilege. The ongoing inability to resolve the asylum seeker crisis is a matter of serious concern for the moral wellbeing of our nation.

As compassion for asylum seekers hardens, these attitudes are also reflected in the increasing tendency to ignore human rights abuses, often in the very places these asylum seekers are fleeing. Respect for human rights is fundamental to democracy and fundamental to building trust and harmony internationally. If we do not respect human rights, our international relations are flawed and built on shifting sands. Australia is increasingly turning its back on human rights violations, some of which are occurring on our very doorstep.

Our commitment to the Lombok Treaty speaks loftily about recognising sovereignty. In practice, it means ignoring the plight of the West Papuan people, whose sovereignty and right to self-determination were curtailed by the Indonesian annexation in the 1960s.

Many Australians have compassion and empathy for the people of Timor Leste. There are numerous religious and private organisations in Australia that have built firm and lasting relationships with the people of East Timor—one of our poorest neighbours. Yet our attitudes towards East Timor and the Timor Gap Treaty demonstrate an attitude more pragmatic than compassionate.

Tamils are amongst the growing number of asylum seekers. They were victims of horrific persecution and torture prior to the end of the civil war. Civil wars generate destructive animosities which require long periods of reconciliation and healing. There is still significant evidence that this reconciliation has not occurred and that Tamils are still victims of persecution. Many are still living in displaced persons camps. Such conditions are not helpful in enabling them to become integrated in Sri Lankan society. Australia has returned asylum seekers who have been victims of torture to Sri Lanka in circumstances where their wellbeing cannot be monitored.

Further afield, Western Sahara remains a trouble spot, with the Sahrawi people deprived of their right to self-determination through occupation by Morocco. They are subjected to serious violations of the right to life, liberty and freedom of expression, and face the constant threat of torture and imprisonment. Their life is dominated by the presence of the Moroccan security forces. Australia must use its voice at the United Nations to work towards a resolution. Perhaps it is time for Australia to follow the lead of other nations, and indeed companies such as Wesfarmers, in implementing sanctions to help turn this situation around.

Failure to address human rights issues on our own shores and in our relations with our neighbours undermines the rights and claims we make for ourselves. If we do not respect the rights of others we have no ground on which to stand to protect ourselves.

If we are genuinely concerned about human rights, refugees and the like, why do we not possibly double or triple our efforts in diplomacy and advocacy for those around the world who are currently landing on our shores and who may possibly come in the future? Let us be proactive and not reactive.