Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a privilege to rise and speak in support of this motion and co-sponsor it with my colleague in the chamber Senator David Fawcett. I've spoken many times in this Senate chamber about the importance of every member of our parliament, particularly in our outreach and interactions with the international community, being impelled to promote the fundamental principles of democracy: equality, freedom, solidarity and respect for the rule of law. Not only do these values and practices apply to Australian society but they are the observable moral benchmarks of all authentic and functioning democracies. Sadly, they are not universally evident.

It was a privilege, along with Senator Fawcett, to attend the recent IPAC conference in Taiwan. I now stand with him to move this urgency motion, with the intent of supporting United Nations resolution 2758 and Australia's official position on matters related to Taiwan.

In 1971, United Nations resolution 2758 was passed, with the intention of granting the seat occupied by the Republic of China in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council to the People's Republic of China. The resolution does not mention Taiwan or address its political status. Despite this fact, there is an ongoing and egregious campaign currently under way from the PRC to reinterpret the resolution and misrepresent what the resolution actually does.

It must be made crystal clear and affirmed without question or doubt in this place that resolution 2758 does not establish PRC sovereignty over Taiwan. Any assertion to the contrary is not just false but should be considered an active attempt to undermine the true and genuine objectives of the resolution. We must be diligent in opposing such disinformation, because attacks on truth are also attacks on democracy. It is deeply regrettable that representatives of the PRC continue to distort the meaning of resolution 2758 in support of the One China principle, and to alter historical documents to change 'Taiwan' to 'Taiwan, province of China'.

We cannot allow any individual or group to undermine the genuine meaning and importance of resolution 2758, as such action is in direct opposition to both Australia's initial intention in supporting the 1971 resolution and our current position on China and Taiwan.

It is crucial in this place and throughout the world that we are strident in our condemnation of deceit and resolute in our promotion of truth and historical fact. It is regretful that the People's Republic of China misrepresents Australia's own One China policy. Australia's longstanding and bipartisan One China policy facilitates political ties with the People's Republic of China and also close unofficial ties with Taiwan. Taiwan is a leading Indo-Pacific democracy and an important partner for Australia. We share with Taiwan an interest in an open, inclusive and stable Indo-Pacific region. We maintain close positive trade and economic ties with Taiwan, including working with Taiwan on the Green Climate Fund and the UN development program to fund the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project. Australia is Taiwan's next second most popular destination for overseas education, and around 200,000 Taiwanese have had working holidays in Australia.

Australia has long supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations. It's not in the interest of the international community to have 24 million Taiwanese excluded. The International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Health Organization are global bodies. They are examples of critical information sharing and global planning bodies that require global representation.

In the context of active misinformation, it is also crucial to put on the record that Australia's official policy does not preclude parliamentarians from meeting with the Taiwanese community or, indeed, travelling to Taiwan. Just last month, I was privileged to travel to Taipei with Senator Fawcett and New South Wales MLA Hugh McDermott to engage with parliamentarians from Taiwan and around the world to discuss the importance of regional stability, democracy and respect for sovereignty.

Let me be clear. Australia does not want any unilateral change to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. We share with all people and nations of goodwill a deep interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within our region. Australia's leaders across the parliament have expressed concern, and we seek to create no confusion about United Nations resolution 2758.