Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

The government won't be supporting this order for the production of documents. Australia is greatly concerned about ongoing human rights abuses by the Myanmar military regime, including recent reports of civilians killed by military airstrikes in the Kachin state. We will continue to speak clearly and consistently in support of human rights around the world and we will act. Australia has reduced contact with the Myanmar military regime to only essential engagement. While engagement is unavoidable, we take every opportunity to convey Australia's grave concerns about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar and strongly condemn the actions of the military regime. Neither the Minister for Foreign Affairs nor the Minister for Defence will attend the workshop in Brunei for the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine. While Australia is a co-host, this is an ASEAN led meeting with the final decision on participation with ASEAN.