MOTIONS › Address by the President of the Republic of Indonesia
Senator DI NATALE (Victoria) (20:02): I ask that general business notice of motion No. 412, relating to the visit by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, be taken as a formal motion. The PRESIDENT: Is there any objection to this motion being taken as formal? There is an objection. Senator DI NATALE: In lieu of suspending standing orders, I seek leave to make a one-minute statement. The PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute. Senator DI NATALE: We've just had a visit from the President of Indonesia. He himself, during his speech, acknowledged the importance of upholding human rights, yet, in Indonesia right now, in the second half of last year and into this year, we've seen a dramatic escalation in the human rights abuses being perpetrated on the West Papuan people. We know that the West Papuans have endured human rights abuses for decades. We know that they've been denied the right to self-determination. We know that there has been a slow-motion genocide occurring in Indonesia. West Papuans have been killed protesting. They've been detained without charge, or detained and charged for treason, simply for flying their own flag. We need the Australian government to call on the President to uphold human rights and to ensure that there is access for journalists and human rights monitors into Indonesia. (Time expired)