Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes that:

     (i)   in the week beginning 16 October 2011 the West Papuan people held their third Papuan National Congress in Jayapura,

     (ii)   the congress was a peaceful gathering of thousands of delegates from all over West Papua, and

     (iii)   the congress elected leaders to speak for the Papuan people;

  (b)   condemns the violent crackdown that left seven Papuans dead and many more injured;

  (c)   calls for an immediate end to violence in the area;

  (d)   recognises the rights of the people of West Papua to freely travel, assemble and discuss their own future; and

  (e)   calls for the humane treatment and timely release of those arrested.

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

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) 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

Parliamentary motions—and the chamber is familiar with the government's view on this—are not the best mechanisms to deal with complex foreign policy matters. Australia regularly engages with Indonesia about developments in the Papuan provinces. The Indonesian government has expressed its concern over developments in Jayapura and has restated its commitment to strengthen implementation of special autonomy in the Papuan provinces. Australia welcomes President Yudhoyono's statement that any abuses by security forces are to be investigated and punished. The government follows closely developments in Papua. Australian officials regularly visit the provinces to better understand the situation there. Under the Lombok treaty, Australia is committed to respecting Indonesian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

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

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion relates to the third Papuan National Congress in Jayapura in West Papua. This was a congress of the West Papuan people, with 3,000 or so people—perhaps more—gathering peacefully in an attempt to discuss their future, a future that has been denied to them by the Indonesian government. There are some important lessons from Australia's reaction to the situation in East Timor and what resulted there that can be applied here. If we are to learn anything from history, we need to learn that when human rights abuses are committed it is our duty and our obligation as good neighbours to the Indonesian people to take a very strong, principled and direct stand against those abuses. This motion does nothing more than suggest that the violent crackdown that occurred in West Papua—

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

I rise on a point of order. I am very close to Senator Di Natale but there is so much noise in here that I cannot hear him. It is a very important issue. I think that he should be heard in some silence.

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

Thank you, Senator Brown. I remind senators to be orderly and quiet while Senator Di Natale is addressing the chamber.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion does nothing more than condemn what I hope all Australians would condemn, and that is the violent crackdown on innocent, peaceful people gathering to discuss and determine their own future, a crackdown that resulted in the deaths of seven people and that violently affected countless others. And there were a number of arrests: we now have a number of Papuan leaders in prison for doing nothing more than expressing their right to determine their own future. We ask the Australian government to not be complicit in these abuses. We ask the Australian government to cease and desist its support for the Indonesian police and the Indonesian military. As part of being a good neighbour, we should respect human rights and show some leadership on this very important issue.

Question put:

That the motion (Senator Di Natale's) be agreed to.

The Senate divided. [15:51]

(The Deputy President—Senator Parry)

Question negatived.