Preliminary Pages
Foreword
Between 7 and 11 November 2011, I was pleased to lead a
delegation of the Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Defence and Trade to Timor-Leste and Indonesia.
The principal purpose of the visit was to meet and conduct
discussions with counterpart committees in the national parliaments of
Indonesia and Timor-Leste. In doing so, the Committee sought to deepen the
connection with counterparts in these parliaments and to help build Australia’s
relationship with Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
The visit followed the proposal made by the Presiding
Officers in 2008 for an exchange program with the foreign affairs committee of
the Indonesian Parliament, and first recommended in the Committee’s report of
its major inquiry into Australia’s relationship with Indonesia, entitled Near
Neighbours — Good Neighbours.
The Near Neighbours report noted that such meetings
would represent a ‘valuable connection’ between the foreign affairs committees
of the parliaments and would allow ‘for both parties to air concerns, exchange
viewpoints and, on occasion, to clarify misunderstandings.’
Following as it did the decision of the Australian
Government to suspend the live cattle trade with Indonesia and the emergence of
the issue of Indonesian minors being held in detention in Australia, the
delegation’s visit to Indonesia provided exactly this opportunity for concerns
to be aired and viewpoints to be exchanged.
The delegation was pleased to note that despite these
irritants, the relationship with Indonesia is now of such breadth and depth
that the relationship can withstand such challenges.
Nevertheless, the delegation is of the view that Australian
governments should at all times adopt a respectful mode of communication and
dialogue with Indonesia and Timor-Leste. An element of this should be, wherever
possible, a ‘no surprises’ approach towards our neighbours.
I am pleased to note that following its visit the Committee
commenced an inquiry into Australia’s relationship with Timor-Leste. This is
timely as the United Nations mandate has now expired and the Australian-led
International Stabilisation Force has departed the country. It is an
appropriate time to be recasting the relationship in Timor-Leste’s
post-Independence era. Challenges continue to emerge in this relationship too
and the inquiry represents an opportunity for the Committee to assist in
helping navigate a way through.
A theme which emerged in both Timor-Leste and Indonesia was
that Australia’s trade relationship with both countries is significantly
underdone, particularly given the significance of the broader relationship
between our countries.
In addition to the acknowledgments listed in the report, I
express particular thanks to the Embassy in Jakarta for arranging an
opportunity for me to participate in an interview on a national television show
in Indonesia. This gave me the opportunity to emphasise the value and
importance Australian parliamentarians place on our relationship with
Indonesia.
The delegation hopes that exchanges between the foreign
affairs, defence and trade committees of the Australian, Indonesian and
Timor-Leste parliaments will take place on a regular basis, and continue to assist
with strengthening the bonds of friendship and facilitating greater
understanding between our countries.
The Hon Michael Danby MP
Delegation Leader
Membership of the
Committee
|
Chair
|
Senator Michael Forshaw (to 30/06/11)
Mr Michael Danby MP (from 1/07/11 to 14/05/13)
Hon Joel Fitzgibbon MP (from 15/05/13)
|
|
Deputy
Chair
|
Mrs Joanna Gash MP
|
|
|
Members
|
Senator Mark
Bishop
Senator the Hon John
Faulkner
(from
30/09/10 to 14/02/11)
Senator David
Fawcett (from
1/07/11)
Senator the Hon Alan
Ferguson
(to
30/06/11)
Senator Mark
Furner
Senator Sarah
Hanson-Young
Senator the Hon David
Johnston
Senator Scott
Ludlam
Senator the Hon Ian
Macdonald
Senator Anne
McEwen (from
1/07/11)
Senator Claire
Moore
Senator Kerry
O’Brien
(from
14/02/11 to 30/06/11)
Senator Stephen
Parry (from
1/07/11)
Senator Marise
Payne
Senator the Hon Ursula
Stephens (from
1/07/11)
Senator Russell
Trood (to
30/06/11)
Hon Dick Adams MP
(from
24/03/11)
Hon Julie Bishop
MP
Ms Gai Brodtmann
MP
|
Hon Anthony Byrne
MP
(to
14/03/12; from 19/09/12)
Mr Nick Champion MP
Hon Laurie
Ferguson MP
Mr Steve
Georganas MP (to
24/03/11)
Mr Steve Gibbons
MP (to
7/02/12)
Hon Alan Griffin
MP
Hon Harry Jenkins
MP (from
7/02/12)
Dr Dennis Jensen
MP
Hon Richard
Marles MP (from
14/05/13)
Hon Robert
McClelland MP
(from
14/03/12 to 19/09/12)
Mrs Sophie
Mirabella MP
Hon John Murphy
MP
Mr Ken O’Dowd MP (from
25/10/10)
Ms Melissa Parke
MP (to
5/02/13)
Mr Stuart Robert
MP
Hon Philip
Ruddock MP
Ms Janelle Saffin
MP
Hon Bruce Scott
MP
Hon Peter Slipper
MP (from
1/11/12)
Hon Dr Sharman Stone
MP (from
25/10/10)
Ms Maria Vamvakinou
MP
|
Membership of the Delegation
|
Delegation
Leader
|
Mr Michael Danby MP
|
|
Delegation
Deputy Leader
|
Mrs Joanna Gash MP
|
|
Members
|
Mr Nick Champion MP
|
|
|
The Hon Laurie Ferguson MP
|
|
|
The Hon Philip Ruddock MP
|
|
|
The Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP
|
|
Delegation
Secretary
|
Mr Jerome Brown
|
Committee Secretariat
|
Secretary
|
Mr Jerome Brown
|
|
Inquiry
Secretaries
|
Dr John Carter
|
|
|
Mr Robert Little
|
|
|
Ms Julia Searle
|
|
|
Mr Paul Zinkel
|
|
Senior
Research Officer
|
Mr James Bunce
|
|
Defence
Adviser
|
Commander James Crouch RAN
|
|
Administration
Manager
|
Ms Lauren McDougall
|
|
Administration
Officer
|
Ms Kane Moir
|
List of abbreviations
|
AANZFTA
|
ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free
Trade Agreement
|
|
ADF
|
Australian Defence Force
|
|
AIFDR
|
Australia-Indonesia Facility for
Disaster Reduction
|
|
ASEAN
|
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations
|
|
AusAID
|
Australian Agency for
International Development
|
|
BKSAP
|
Badan Kerja Sama Antar
Parlemen
(Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation of the People’s
Representative Council of the Parliament of the Republic of Indonesia)
|
|
DCP
|
(Australian Defence Force)
Defence Cooperation Program
|
|
DFAT
|
Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade
|
|
DPD
|
Dewan Perwakilan
Daerah
(Regional Representative Council of the Parliament of the Republic of
Indonesia)
|
|
DPR
|
Dewan Perwakilan
Rakyat
(People’s Representative Council of the Parliament of the Republic of
Indonesia, also referred to as the House of Representatives)
|
|
F-FDTL
|
Falintil-Forças
de Defesa de Timor Leste
(Timor-Leste Defence Force)
|
|
|
|
|
IA-CEPA
|
Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement
|
|
IMF
|
International Monetary Fund
|
|
INTERFET
|
International Force for East
Timor
|
|
ISF
|
International Stabilisation Force
(for Timor-Leste)
|
|
MPR
|
Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat
(People’s Consultative Assembly – the Parliament of the Republic of Indonesia)
|
|
ODA
|
(Australia’s) Official
Development Assistance
|
|
PNTL
|
Policia Nacional de
Timor-Leste
(National Police Force of Timor-Leste)
|
|
TLPDP
|
Timor-Leste Police Development
Program
|
|
UNMIT
|
United Nations Integrated Mission
in Timor-Leste
|
|
UNPOL
|
United Nations Police
|
|
UN SRSG
|
Special Representative of the
Secretary-General of the United Nations
|
|
UNTAET
|
United Nations Administration in
East Timor
|