Page 2178 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 22 June 2005
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the selfless acts of bravery demonstrated by the East Timorese people, many more Australians may well have lost their lives.
In helping our neighbour and newest member of our international community of nations, it is fundamental to recognise that the primary burden of reconstruction and development has to be borne by the Timorese people themselves. The East Timorese government has developed a 20-year plan designed to repair the destruction that was wreaked upon their infrastructure by the Indonesian army and to lift Timor-Leste out of poverty in order that it may enjoy economic as well as political independence. The realisation of this plan will be difficult, but it is important to recognise that this realisation is not an alternative. It is essential in establishing the East Timorese nation.
Realisation of the plan demands the full resources of the people of East Timor. Crucial to this is the revenue to be generated from gas and petroleum fields of the Timor Sea. The revenue expected from the development of these fields represents a crucial proportion of the investment required for the success of the 20-year plan. The Timorese people are only asking for a fair share. They are asking for fairness in ensuring that the income derived from resources on their doorstep is reinvested in their future.
The concern raised in this motion is one that I share wholeheartedly, that is, that the federal government not deny what is only fair. The federal government appears to be determined to bully its way into the lion’s share of the revenue from the gas and petroleum reserves, despite the proximity of those reserves to East Timor and despite the likelihood that international maritime law would consider a large proportion of these resources to be in Timorese territory.
In failing to do justice to the East Timorese, the federal government risks undoing much of the goodwill that has been built up over the past six years between our nations. These actions also potentially undermine the foundation for Timor-Leste’s long-term economic independence. They never agreed to the continental shelf model, which is the basis of this arrangement. The Indonesian government arrived at the continental shelf arrangement after the illegal invasion of Timor-Leste.
The federal foreign affairs minister claimed success in the most recent talks between himself and the Timorese Prime Minister. However, the Timorese Prime Minister told the Portuguese news agency Lusa, “There is no accord, and if there is one in the terms announced, it will be totally against my orientation. And thus void”. Clearly, there is some way to go to successfully resolve this issue and to deliver a just outcome, indeed a just future, for Timor-Leste.
The federal government has agreed to give the impoverished people of Timor-Leste a slightly larger portion of the pie. This is a step in the right direction, but there is a long way to go. Additionally, we should not forget that Australians have a strong interest in the successful conclusion of the talks. Our interests lie not in the exportation of unjustly claimed oil and gas resources, but in working with the people of East Timor in building their future and in remedying the wrongs of the past. A prosperous, vibrant, economically self-sufficient East Timor is very definitely in Australia’s national interest. Our colleagues in the Northern Territory are also looking for successful outcomes to the negotiations that should clear the way for development of gas and petroleum projects which will be of great benefit to the Northern Territory as well as Timor-Leste.
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