Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 21 standing in my name relating to the Arctic 30.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended and circulated in the chamber:

That the Senate—

(a) supports the right to free assembly and peaceful protest;

(b) notes:

(i) with deep concern Russia's disproportionate charges of hooliganism against two journalists and 28 crew of the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise (the Arctic 30) who were peacefully protesting against oil drilling in the Pechora Sea, and

(ii) the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea's binding ruling which orders the release of the Arctic 30 following payment of a bank guarantee by the Government of the Netherlands to allow them to leave the territory and maritime areas under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation; and

(c) urges the Prime Minister (Mr Abbott) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ms Bishop) to be in continuous, direct contact with the Russian Government to urge it to abide by the tribunal's ruling and help ensure that Australian citizen Colin Russell and the other 29 individuals no longer face these disproportionate charges and are permitted to return to their homes.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government will be opposing this motion. The Australian government has provided comprehensive assistance to Mr Russell since the Arctic Sunrise and its crew were detained by Russian authorities in the Barents Sea on 19 September. The government has made a range of official representations aimed at ensuring he is extended due legal process by Russian authorities, and by registering our concerns to have his case resolved expeditiously. Ms Julie Bishop wrote to her Russian counterpart on 14 November and raised Mr Russell's case twice with the Russian deputy foreign minister at the APEC forum ministers meeting in Bali, in October.

The Australian ambassador to Russia raised the case with a senior Russian foreign ministry official, in Moscow, on 20 November. Mr Robb has also raised the matter. I should reiterate that the Australian government has no standing in the Russian legal proceedings and has no capacity to intervene in them, but obviously the government does do all that it can to support citizens— (Time expired)

Question agreed to.