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

On 21 March 2007, Senator Stott Despoja asked me a series of questions in relation to sanctions as applicable to Zimbabwe. I undertook to get her some further information, which I now have. I seek leave to incorporate it in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

Senator STOTT DESPOJA—Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I asked the minister to outline the government’s opinion on further economic sanctions that have been called for, including from members in this place. I also ask whether the minister is aware of a recommendation by the International Crisis Group, which actually suggests that members of families who are the subject of those targeted sanctions applied by the EU or the US should have their visas or their residency permits cancelled. Is the government aware of any Zimbabweans currently in Australia who fall into that category—that is, the children or relatives of people who are subject to those particular sanctions? If that is the case, what will the government do about considering or revoking those visas or permits? Once again, I want to clarify: is the government saying that they will not consider a sporting sanction but they are clearly leaving it up to the cricket board, or will our government consider, as they have done previously in relation to South Africa and apartheid, supporting a sporting sanction?

Answer:

Sanctions remain under regular review.

The Government is aware of the recommendations of the International Crisis Group (ICG) of 5 March 2007 to the US and EU to tighten their sanctions by extending them to family members and business associates of targeted individuals, cancelling visas and residence permits of those targeted individuals and their family members, and to add Zimbabwe’s Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono to their sanctions lists

Australia’s smart sanctions are already applied to a broader list of individuals than the US and EU, and already include Mr Gono and the heads of Zimbabwean state owned enterprises. No person on Australia’s sanctions list may travel to Australia

Our sanctions remain under regular review to ensure they apply the maximum pressure on the Mugabe regime and we are in close consultation with other countries imposing sanctions, including the US and EU, on how our sanctions regimes can be strengthened.