House debates

Monday, 20 August 2018

Statements by Members

Prime Minister, Cambodia: Opposition Leader

1:51 pm

Photo of Julian HillJulian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm wearing black today, in mourning for the Prime Minister. It's been 3,184 days since the Liberal Party last dumped him as leader, and I think he's going to get his wish soon—to not lead a party that doesn't believe in climate change.

I also want to note that 22 August is an important day for Cambodian Australians. It's the bail hearing for the jailed opposition leader, Kem Sokha. We hosted, in the parliament last week, Monovithya Kem, his daughter. I call on the Australian government to redouble their efforts to see Kem Sokha released. Hun Sen, the dictator, just announced that he won 125 seats out of 125 seats in the sham fake election that saw the opposition leader jailed, his opponents kicked out of the country, the media banned and civil society shut down.

I want to beat the government—but I want to beat them fairly, at an election. It's about time that this government accepted that their dodgy refugee deal to give $40 million to a corrupt dictator is a stain on our country. It's about time that you accepted the need to examine sanctions on Cambodia—visa bans; asset freezes—and that you honour Australia's legacy from the federal Labor government under Gareth Evans, where we led the world to get the Paris Peace Accords in place. Whoever the Prime Minister is, in a few weeks when they go to the United Nations for leaders' week, they should lead. (Time expired)

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