Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Democracy is a precious and rare state in this world, and it's not to be assumed that it's the norm everywhere. It's fragile and it's vital. It's a value set that demands constant vigilance and care to maintain. Without proper attention, democracy can simply slip away. That's why I recently joined my colleagues Senator David Fawcett from this place and Mr Hugh McDermott from the New South Wales parliament on a trip to Taiwan as part of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.

Taiwan is at the very frontline of democracy, and I'm proud to stand with those who share the values of equality and freedom that so underpin our belief in the democratic project. Alongside other parliamentarians and representatives from nations, we shared a commitment to these principles and we reaffirmed our support. To understand the value of democracy in the region, one need only need to look to Taiwan's neighbour Hong Kong. There, democracy has been severely eroded in favour of authoritarianism. The world has witnessed severe political suppression and destruction of dissenting voices that oppose the government's agenda. In this we must be very clear-eyed.

Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, epitomises the repression that is underway in Hong Kong. Born in Mao's China, he escaped to Hong Kong at age 12, eventually rising from his work as a factory worker to leading a fashion icon label and then onto becoming a media mogul. His newspaper's critical stance led to his persecution under draconian national security laws, which saw the freezing of the paper's assets, raids on its offices, with 200 officials coming in to remove him from his workplace. The arrest of several leaders coincided with the capturing of Jimmy Lai himself. He's been charged with sedition and collusion with foreign forces. Jimmy Lai now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars simply for speaking out against the government.

I've met Jimmy's son Sebastien, who was here in Australia, and I met him again in Taipei. Sebastian has shown remarkable strength and stoicism in the face of personal adversity, reflecting the courage that his own father has shown. He asked that we speak out on behalf of his father, highlight the ongoing oppression that exists in Hong Kong and call for his father's freedom, and that's why I'm making this speech—to draw attention to this matter.

Over the past two years, parliaments and other international voices have called for Jimmy Lai's immediate release. This includes the UK, Mr Lai's state of nationality; the United States; the European parliament; the Canadian parliament; five United Nations experts; and leaders of the Catholic Church. Multiple other states have raised grave concerns regarding the collapse of media freedom in Hong Kong, including 24 states who co-signed a media freedom coalition statement in December 2023, shortly after Mr Lai's current trial commenced.

It's important to note that, on 6 June 2024, two overseas non-permanent judges of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, Lord Sumption and Lord Collins, resigned. Lord Sumption cited his view that Hong Kong is becoming a totalitarian state, and he described the growing malaise in the Hong Kong judiciary and the profound compromise of the rule of law in any area which the government feels strongly about.

I am going to seek support of this parliament to call for the release of Jimmy Lai. He is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned for his peaceful campaigning activities, for his writing and for his journalism, as well as on trumped-up charges based on an alleged breach of a lease. He has already been in prison for over 3½ years, and his sedition and NSL trial began on 18 December 2023. It's now clear that, with many delays, this will continue until at least the end of the year and possibly into 2025. The prosecution's case makes it abundantly clear that Mr Lai is being accused of engaging in legitimate political debate and discussion with politicians and in his newspaper, Apple Daily; of raising human rights concerns; and of calling for accountability for human rights violations in Hong Kong.

I urge all those who are providing external judges from countries around the world, including Australia, to look at the situation in Hong Kong and consider how tenable that position might continue to be. From my experience, concerted efforts by some nations subvert and degrade the rules based order. We need to stand together in support of democracy.