Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to add my contribute to this urgency motion proposed by me and my good friend Senator O'Neill. Australia has long endorsed Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations, and this is a view that the government reiterates today. Excluding Taiwan and its 24 million inhabitants from international organisations would constrain the world from being able to engage effectively and develop solutions on the transnational threats that we are facing. Bodies like the World Health Organization or the International Civil Aviation Organization require international representation, and the government will continue to uphold this view.

It is important to note, as we've heard from previous speakers, that United Nations resolution 2758, as adopted in 1971, doesn't address the political status of Taiwan. It doesn't authorise the People's Republic of China, the PRC, to represent Taiwan in the United Nations system. It doesn't extend the PRC sovereignty over Taiwan. It is rather regrettable that, as years have passed, so too has the push by the PRC and its representatives to reinterpret resolution 2758, in support of its One China principle, and to change the meaning of these historical documents.

Australia has a longstanding and bipartisan One China policy and maintains close unofficial ties with Taiwan. In May this year, I was very proud to co-lead, with Senator Fawcett, a bipartisan parliamentary delegation to Taiwan for the inauguration of the President and the Vice-President. The visit for the inauguration was entirely consistent with Australia's One China policy. During this historic event, I had the great pleasure of meeting the President and the Vice-President to reaffirm Australia's relationship with Taiwan and our very strong people-to-people ties. Australia enjoys a very strong Taiwanese diaspora of 50,000, and around 200,000 Taiwanese have had working holiday arrangements in our great country. Indeed, the economic, trade and cultural interests Australia shares with Taiwan cannot be understated. Taiwan is one of Australia's top 10 two-way goods and services trading partners, worth around $33.6 billion, and is the sixth largest destination for Australian exports, worth around $23.5 billion.

Australia is also Taiwan's largest energy supplier—many people will not know this. We contribute around two-thirds of Taiwan's coal and almost half of its natural gas. We'll continue to advance this energy cooperation by supporting Taiwan in its uptake of renewable energy, on its pathway to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Most importantly, Taiwan shares Australia's interest in, and a steadfast commitment to, a rules based, open, inclusive and stable Indo-Pacific region. As Indo-Pacific democracies, both countries firmly believe in a peaceful and stable region. This shared interest is important today more than has ever been the case. As has been reiterated by our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Wong, Australia doesn't want to see any unilateral change to the current status across the Taiwan Strait. The government has repeatedly expressed its concerns about the PRC's military and coastguard activity around Taiwan in recent times. The military brinkmanship is reckless and irresponsible.

Pursuing peace and stability is in all our interests because the alternative is too catastrophic to consider. Australia will continue to engage constructively and take steps to promote stability and transparency so that the region can live in a peaceful and prosperous manner and continue to be a region in which sovereignty is respected. In this place, I will continue to advocate for the right of Taiwanese people to live free from the threat of violence against them and their vibrant democracy.