Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs. What representations has the Australian government made to either the Indonesian government or the United Nations in response to the comments in the last fortnight by the special adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the prevention of genocide, Juan Mendez, who said that the West Papuan people are at risk of extinction?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Nettle for her question. Obviously this government takes very seriously matters that relate to Papua New Guinea and certainly looks to the UN where appropriate to ensure that actions such as Senator Nettle refers to and the allegations that have been made are not brought to fruition. I will find out from Mr Downer what the representations are in great detail, but I believe that reports that suggest that Mr Downer was persuaded by the Indonesian authorities to take a position in relation to these matters are incorrect.

The matter will be handled by independent decision makers in accordance with Australia’s international and domestic legal obligations in the normal manner. Mr Downer or, in fact, the Prime Minister—I will check which it is—said publicly that he made clear to President Yudhoyono of Indonesia on about 27 January that these cases will be handled by independent decision makers in accordance with Australia’s international and domestic legal obligations. What is important is that the United Nations is able to have a view on this if in fact the matters are made out. But my current information is that, while the Australian Embassy in Jakarta is following up on these reports, we do not have any clear information that there is anything to pursue in relation to comments made by Indonesian ministers.

Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for agreeing to take that question on notice to Minister Downer. I might note that it was West Papua, not PNG, to which the question related. I thank her also for the comments on the asylum seekers. Could the minister also answer whether the government has done anything in response to the studies released by Sydney University and Yale Law School that the repression of the West Papuans by the Indonesian military may fit within the definition of genocide as stipulated in international law.

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Nettle for the supplementary question. As I indicated, the government has no information that those allegations are in fact true, so those inquiries, as far as I understand it, would not be pursued. But it certainly is a matter that I would be prepared to bring to the attention of the minister in the event that there is anything to add to my answer.