Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise, too, to make a contribution and pass on my condolences to the family of Gordon McIntosh, who was a well-known activist around Perth. But I actually rise to speak on behalf of some people in Timor-Leste. In particular, Mr Francisco da Carvalho has asked me, through a friend, to reflect on his support and on condolences passed on from him and his family, who remember former Senator McIntosh as a very important part of their resistance in Timor-Leste. So, with the indulgence of the Senate, I'm going to read what he has written and passed on to me through a very good friend of mine who is currently working in Timor-Leste. What he says is:

Gordon McIntosh was a hero of Timor-Leste. He was seen by Timorese as a highly-principled and tenacious supporter of East Timorese self-determination and independence since 1975. His passing has saddened many in Timor-Leste—as he gave many a glimmer of hope in tragic and tough times.

Gordon McIntosh challenged successive Australian Government support for the Indonesian military invasion and occupation. He was best known as Chair of the 1982-83 Senate Inquiry about East Timor, his counterpoint to former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam at the United Nations in 1982 and his membership of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Indonesia and East Timor in 1983.

In 1983 he went to Timor, as part of the first Australian parliamentary delegation to visit the then territory under occupation of Indonesia. After the trip, the Senator wrote a report denouncing the delegation's comments, describing the attempts of some to present Timor as no longer a significant political problem. His petition to the United Nations Decolonization Committee in 1982 was instrumental in keeping Timor on the list of territories with open decolonization processes, and his activities over many years made an important contribution to the Timorese cause.

In Timor Sen. McIntosh was affectionately known they used to call him "Ulun toos …" which directly translated means head strong—but it was his determination, stubbornness and 'discernment for not accepting the views of his Australian Parliament colleagues during his 1983 visit to the country—

which seems to have earned him this nickname

In 2014, he was awarded the Order of Timor-Leste … for his efforts in favour of Timor-Leste's independence.

Francisco da Carvalho is one of the founding fathers of the CVTL, the Red Cross Timor-Leste, and a veteran. He was a resistance leader during the invasion by Indonesia and met with Senator McIntosh in 1983. In 1981 Francisco was imprisoned on Atauro Island, just north of Dili. Francisco tells the story that Senator McIntosh came with a delegation from Australia to see for himself the conditions of political prisoners but had to be accompanied by the Indonesian military. Francisco and his fellow prisoners had a letter that they wanted to smuggle out to tell the world what was happening in East Timor. They didn't know what to do, as of course it was highly illegal and the Indonesian military were standing close by. Francisco finally took a deep breath, said a prayer and somehow shoved the letter into Gordon's hand. By luck, he was the right person to take the letter.

For nearly 10 years, Francisco was in prison on Atauro Island, in Indonesia and then in Dili. Once out of prison, he heard a lot about the work of then Senator McIntosh and about what he was doing for East Timor. Again, it gave him strength and hope throughout the following years. In 2016, former Senator McIntosh met with Francisco when in Dili, which was a joyful occasion. Gordon had given Francisco hope that somebody from the international community would listen to their plight—someone who understood the situation, who fought for East Timor. Francisco said that 'thank you' did not really describe what he wanted to say to Gordon and his family. He struggled with words and put his hand on his heart:

… it is much deeper than that. He supported us in such a terrible time; such a bad situation; and then he came back to see us.

Gordon McIntosh will not be forgotten in East Timor and will be forever remembered with great affection, admiration and respect. As the Timorese government said in their press release about former Senator McIntosh's passing:

In this moment of sadness, we mourn his death, but we celebrate his contribution.

I understand that Francisco also has photos that he would be very glad to pass on to Gordon's family. He was, as was so clearly articulated in Francisco's words, deeply loved and remembered, and I can pass on that as soon as they heard about his passing they sought to reach out to express their admiration and affection for all that he did for East Timor.