Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to discuss the plight of the Oromo people. This is an issue very close to home, as Tasmania has a sizeable Oromo community and the vast majority of them live in the electorate of Denison. Indeed, I had the pleasure of attending an event just last week in Glenorchy that was organised by Oromo leaders in Denison, where I spoke to members of the community from right across the state. I was touched by their kindness and hospitality, but I was horrified to hear some of their stories.

Ethiopia is home to a diverse range of ethnic groups, and the Oromo are the single largest ethnic group, making up around 35 per cent of the population as of the 2007 census. In fact, it is thought that there are around 25 million Oromo in Ethiopia, as well as around 230,000 in northern Kenya. These people have a proud history. By some accounts, they have lived in the region for over 1,000 years and their language is one of the most widely spoken in Africa. In addition to their presence in Africa, the Oromo have formed tight-knit communities around the world, including in Canada, the United Kingdom and, of course, here in Australia.

Regrettably, though, the situation on the ground for the Oromo in Ethiopia is dire because Oromians are suffering horrendous violence and human rights abuses at the hands of the Ethiopian government. Indeed, according to a 2014 Amnesty International report, the governing party—the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front—arrested at least 5,000 Oromos between 2000 and 2014 for actual or suspected opposition to the government. According to this Amnesty report, opposition political parties, student groups, peaceful protesters, people promoting Oromo culture and people in positions the government believes could have influence on their communities are all treated with hostility and violence.

These acts by the Ethiopian government have been condemned by human rights organisations right around the world. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has been especially critical, expressed strong concern with the situation and urged the Ethiopian government to promptly release those detained for exercising their right to protest. She has also called on the government to ensure that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression are protected.

More broadly, organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, World Organisation Against Torture, Front Line Defenders and the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative have all signed an open letter condemning the dreadful situation. They note that at least 500 demonstrators have been killed and hundreds have suffered bullet wounds and beatings at the hands of the police and the military. There have been thousands of arbitrary arrests throughout the Oromia and Amhara regions, the open letter says, and many of those who have been released report that they were tortured while in detention.

The Ethiopian government has been in power since 1991, and these human rights violations have obviously been occurring for a long time. It is by no means a new situation, but it does appear that the situation is escalating. A Human Rights Watch report just this year details a recent event where security forces shot into crowds, killed people during mass round-ups and tortured detained protesters. Because primary and secondary students were among the protesters, the report says, many of those arrested or killed were children. Human rights organisations also say that they are expecting an increase in the already high number of Ethiopian refugees as a direct result of the government's actions.

The rights to freely express oneself and associate with others are cornerstones of democratic society, and we often take them for granted in Australia. They are set out in nearly every human rights instrument or treaty there is. For example, the European Convention on Human Rights' article 10 provides the right to freedom of expression and article 11 provides the right to freedom of assembly and association. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Ethiopia is a signatory, enshrines the right to freedom of expression in article 19 and freedom of association in articles 21 and 22. Article 27 provides the right for ethnic or religious groups to enjoy their own culture and religion. And let us not forget the most core of human rights, the right to life, which is violated every time a citizen dies at the hands of their government.

Sometimes it is easy for us to become blase about these situations overseas because we hear about them so frequently or because they are happening a long way away. We live in a lucky country and sometimes we tune out when we read the newspapers or watch the TV news and hear stories about atrocities overseas, but these are real human beings that we are talking about. At the community meeting I attended last week, the stories I heard were intensely personal. The Oromians from my electorate told me truly horrific stories. They told me about family members being killed, raped and tortured. This included babies and young children. They were deeply affected by what has happened at home and what continues to happen.

You might ask why I am raising these issues in the Australian parliament when all of this is happening so far away in Ethiopia. The Australian government has a role to play here. For a start, we can pressure the Ethiopian government to halt these atrocities. If the Ethiopian government will not do so, then we should at least pressure them to allow organisations providing humanitarian assistance to enter their country to assist the people in need. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights have also both called for an impartial investigation into the situation, led by regional and international human rights bodies. Until now, the Ethiopian government has insisted it will investigate itself. But clearly this is not satisfactory and, whatever the situation, Australia cannot and should not turn a blind eye.

I have written this week to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, passing on the concerns that the Oromo in my electorate brought to me, and I urged her to pressure the Ethiopian government to end the violence and torture. This would not only help the Oromo people who are the victims of these acts, but it would also help to stabilise the region—otherwise we may be heading toward another civil war, which would be another tragedy. I have also written this week to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and urged him to be mindful of the plight of the Oromo when considering Australia's humanitarian intake. I am of course an advocate for a much more generous humanitarian intake overall and I have long been an advocate for a fairer approach to helping those who come to Australia fleeing persecution, but in this case I have urged the minister to be particularly mindful of the Oromo people and to offer them whatever assistance is possible.

Clearly there is a great need to help these people because their situation is so dire. Despite this, there are very worrying reports that Oromo refugees are being sent back to Ethiopia from other countries, as well as reports of other countries refusing to take them or taking very low numbers. For example, the United Oromo Refugees Association recently staged a sit-in at the UNHCR office in Egypt to protest that country's low rate of asylum granted to Oromians. I also know that there is a very tight-knit Oromo community in Australia, and particularly in Tasmania, and I am in no doubt that they would be very willing to welcome and support future Oromo refugees.

As I have said before in this place, Australia is a rich and fortunate country. We can afford to be the best international citizen; we can afford to be more generous in our assistance to countries and peoples less fortunate than ourselves; and we can afford to be much more active diplomatically when the situation calls for it. In situations like this, Australia should lead by example and step in to offer every assistance possible. We are, after all, a very successful multicultural society, despite the ugly claims of some in this parliament. We can leverage off this to become a real force for good among the community of nations.

The Oromo community who I met with want their voices to be heard, and hopefully they have been heard in the Australian parliament tonight. They want people to understand what they and their families have been through and they want the horrific atrocities that have been committed to stop. That is what I am calling for today and I hope our government will listen.

See this speech in context