Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also very much welcome our visitors to the Senate. I rise to speak on this matter of public importance regarding Tibet. The Albanese government speaks clearly and consistently in support of human rights around the world, including in Tibet. We bring all aspects of Australian power to our foreign policy, and we employ every strategy at our disposal towards upholding human rights, consistent with our values and with our interests. Our guiding objective is to achieve meaningful outcomes.

One lever is our diplomacy, which is often more effective when we partner with other countries to send a message. We have appointed an ambassador for human rights. We have expanded the role of the Ambassador to Counter Modern Slavery, People Smuggling and Human Trafficking. But, when dialogue does not progress, we look for other ways to send a strong, clear message. Sometimes we partner with others, sometimes we engage directly and sometimes we apply pressure. Our task is to do what we can to lessen the injustice in this world. We take the world as it is and dedicate ourselves with great seriousness to the questions of how we can shape it for the better.

That brings me to the question of Tibet and this matter of public importance before us today. The Australian government has been clear and consistent in raising serious concerns about human rights in Tibet—publicly and privately, directly with China and in multilateral forums. The foreign minister has consistently raised Australian government concerns about the erosion of rights and freedoms in Tibet with her counterpart in China and will continue to do so.

On 1 March, assistant foreign minister Watts delivered Australia's national statement at the high-level segment of the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council. There he expressed Australia's concerns about reports of the erosion of educational, religious, cultural and linguistic rights and freedoms in Tibet. The government is aware of disturbing reports from UN experts about the separation of Tibetan children from families in government run boarding schools. On 6 February this year, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that UN special rapporteurs had found that one million Tibetan children were separated from families in the government run boarding schools—horrific—in what has appeared to be a clear policy of assimilation. We're also gravely concerned about reports of the detention of Tibetans for peaceful expression of political views; the suppression of Tibetan religious expression; excessive security measures; mass surveillance; restrictions on travel; and China's policies on Tibetan cultural rights and heritage.

We are aware of disturbing reports from the UN experts of forcible labour through transfers of Tibetans to vocational training programs. On 27 April this year, UN independent human rights experts reported that labour transfer and vocational training programs in Tibet threaten Tibetan cultural identity and may lead to forced labour. The government is committed to ensuring that the supply chains we use do not promote, condone or financially support forced labour. On 9 May, the government announced it would provide $8 million over four years from 2023-24 and an ongoing $2 million per year to establish an antislavery commissioner. The commissioner will work across government, industry and civil society to support compliance with the Modern Slavery Act, to bring transparency to supply chains and to help fight modern slavery in Australia and abroad.

The rapporteurs also mentioned, of course, the disappearance of the Panchen Lama, who has been disappeared and has not been allowed to be raised in the Tibetan tradition for 28 years. It's critically important that we strongly express our condemnation and repeated requests for information on the fate and whereabouts of the Panchen Lama. We strongly express our concerns about the ongoing erosion of educational, religious, cultural and linguistic rights and freedoms in Tibet. (Time expired)