Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

15 August 2009 was the 64th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, and

(ii)

during the war up to 200 000 women and girls were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military and kept in ‘comfort stations’;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

the Japanese ‘comfort women’ have yet to receive an apology or any official acknowledgement of the grave human rights abuses that were suffered at the hands of the Japanese military, and

(ii)

since 2007, the United States of America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union (with 27 member countries), South Korea, Taiwan and three city councils in Japan have all passed similar motions calling on the Japanese Government to accept full responsibility and apologise for the abuses of comfort women; and

(c)

calls on the Australian Government to urge the Japanese Government to:

(i)

accept full responsibility for the abuses of comfort women,

(ii)

officially apologise for the crimes committed against the women,

(iii)

provide adequate compensation to comfort women or their immediate families, and

(iv)

accurately teach the history of comfort women in schools.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian government again records its objection to dealing with complex international matters such as the one before us by means of formal motion. The comfort women system of World War II was one of the darkest episodes in modern history and inflicted significant physical and psychological hardship on those affected. The Australian government extends its deepest sympathies to the victims and supports all efforts to achieve reconciliation between the victims and the government of Japan. Reconciliation is a long-term process and complete reconciliation in this case remains unfinished. The government considers that the Kono statement issued by the Chief Cabinet Secretary in August 1993 clearly demonstrated Japan’s official position. Mr Kono said that Japan extended:

… its sincere apologies and remorse to all those, irrespective of place of origin, who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women.

Successive Japanese leaders—including the Prime Minister in October 2008—have affirmed Japan’s apology to the victims. The government considers that Japan has discharged its reparations and other obligations towards Australia as part of the 1951 San Francisco peace treaty. The government does not stand in the way of individuals or groups who choose to pursue private legal action against the government of Japan, but, for the reasons I have outlined, the government does not support the motion before the Senate today.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have listened carefully to the government’s position, as taken by Senator Ludwig, as against that put forward in Senator Hanson-Young’s proposed motion. The difference, quite simply, is this: the government does not support—at government level, at least—the compensation that is due to the women who suffered as so-called comfort women in the Second World War. The question before the Senate on this occasion is: is an apology enough or is compensation warranted? Quite clearly, Senator Hanson-Young’s motion is calling for backing for these people, many of whom are very late in life and many of whom are, sadly, dead; however, compensation should justly follow an apology.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition will also be opposing this motion. We do agree with the sentiment that the Greens have raised in their motion and we did unsuccessfully attempt to negotiate a slight amendment with the Greens. We have said in this place on many occasions that the opposition does not support foreign policy being debated by way of notices of motion in this place, and that is a position we do not resile from. We support most of the comments raised by the government in relation to this motion. In 2007, a motion was moved by Senator Payne in a very similar manner to this, but it did not dictate to another country the way in which that country should behave. It also used slightly different language concerning this matter while expressing very similar sentiments. For those reasons, the opposition will not be supporting the motion.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As somebody who has been in this chamber for 12 months, I look forward to the day that we have both the government and the opposition proud enough to stand on the strength of the spine of the Australian democracy and able to urge countries to do things that we feel are right. The motion that was passed in 2007 was not the motion that the comfort women would have liked; it was not the motion that other countries around the world would have passed. In fact, the motion that is before you today is almost word for word the same motion that was passed by the United States of America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union—which, of course, includes 27 member countries—South Korea, Taiwan and three city councils in Japan alone.

I point out that, in my time here thus far, every time an issue of international importance urging freedom, democracy, help or assistance to people in other places is raised, the opposition and the government have continued to hide behind the complex nature of issues rather than standing on the strength of the spine of our democracy.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would just remind senators of the standing order that provides for formal motions. It says that motions should be put without amendment or debate. It seems as though we are getting into lengthy debates, and perhaps whips and others should take that into consideration.

Question put.