Alan Cadman (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask leave of the House to amend notice No. 2, private members’ business, in the terms circulated to honourable members.

Leave granted.

I move notice No. 2 as amended:

That this House:

(1)

commends Australians of Greek and Turkish origin for the peaceful and harmonious relationship they have established in Australia which is an example to all communities coming from older cultures;

(2)

recognises, with appreciation, the past endeavours of the Hon. Bill Hayden and the current efforts of Australia’s Special Envoy on Cyprus the Hon. Jim Short, and their contribution towards improving relationships between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities to bring about the reunification of the island of Cyprus;

(3)

requests the Government of the Republic of Turkey, as it moves towards joining the European Union as a full member, to:

(a)

return private property to minority groups of all religious backgrounds and to allow the freedoms of settlement and property throughout Cyprus;

(b)

permit the re-opening of the Greek Orthodox Theological College on the island of Halke; and

(d)

permit Christian denominations to operate seminaries of their own, whether Greek, Armenian or Syriac; and

(4)

encourage all parties, including the Turkish Government and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, to work together with the United Nations and the European Union to ensure a lasting solution in which all Cypriots enjoy the economic, political and security benefits of the EU in a united, democratic, just Cyprus.

I have decided to amend my original motion in order not to involve the sensitivities of the Australian community, particularly those who arrived here from Turkey or Greece. Australia has a friendly relationship with Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, and that has been the case for a long time. We are conscious that we have made a very strong contribution to relieving the tensions within the Mediterranean and particularly within Cyprus. We want to pay tribute to two Australians who have assisted in the process.

Since the invasion of northern Cyprus by Turkey in 1974, this issue has been a consistent, festering problem. It is a particular problem for religious groups, particularly the Orthodox Church, and for parties, people and families with properties in northern Cyprus. This is a wonderful opportunity for the government of the Republic of Turkey to take steps to resolve some of these issues. It has been a tradition for Australia—and currently we observe the Australian military in East Timor—to move in, resolve a problem and move out. If there were problems which caused or brought about the invasion in 1974, it is time that those matters are put aside and that the people of Cyprus, who lived in harmony, are once more given the opportunity of reunification. Nothing could be more opportune. Nothing could be more valuable. Nothing could enhance the reputation of Turkey more at the moment. Taking this step will ease Turkey’s entry into Europe and enhance its global reputation for the treatment of minority groups.

I wish to acknowledge the work that was done by the Hon. Bill Hayden some years ago and the work currently being done by the Hon. Jim Short. The representatives of the Cypriot and Turkish governments, of course, have been interested in this motion, and I wish to express my personal goodwill to the peoples from both of those countries who have settled in Australia. I encourage the Turkish parliament to pass the proposed reform of the Turkish foundation law and applaud the opportunity for Christian groups to resume the operation of their religious training centres, something that is dear to the hearts of all of those people in the region. (Time expired)

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Chris Bowen (Prospect, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. Freedom of religion is a fundamental and inalienable right of every human being. There is an obligation on those of us in positions of influence to speak out for those who do not have that freedom and cannot speak out. However, we must always be careful to describe the situation in other jurisdictions accurately and in the proper context. There are issues related to religious freedom in Turkey. These cannot be doubted, and I will return to the details of these shortly. The issues in Turkey must be put in perspective, especially when compared to those in some neighbouring countries, for example.

I am particularly concerned about the rights of Christians in Iraq, and I have spoken about this previously in the House. It is hard to conceive that the position of Christians in Iraq has actually deteriorated since the fall of Saddam Hussein. As a member of the coalition of the willing, this government has an obligation to speak up for Christians in Iraq. I am sorry to say that the government’s response has been less than adequate, and I use the forum of this motion to again call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make representations at the highest possible level to ensure the protection of Assyrians, Chaldeans and Mandeans in Iraq. The government also needs to be doing more in relation to providing safe haven for Christians who have left Iraq. I again call on the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to review the way her department handles applications for refugee status from Christians and Mandeans who have fled Iraq.

Let me now turn to the situation in Turkey in detail. It needs to be noted Turkey is a fiercely secular state and a democratic state. Despite the fact 99.8 per cent of the citizens of Turkey are Muslim, the Turkish constitution gives no special status to Islam. This is one of the legacies of the statesman Ataturk, who abolished the caliphate and modernised Turkey’s administration. We should be building on these foundations. It would be very tempting for a nation like Turkey, with such an overwhelming Muslim majority and so close to nations like Iraq and Iran, to adopt Sharia law, but it is in fact the fierce secularism which has led to some of the problems with religious freedom in Turkey. It is Turkish national policy, for example, that women in public service are not allowed to wear the burkha or hijab in work time or on government premises, and also that women who wear these religious garments in private time not be promoted. That is not a policy, of course, that we would be comfortable with in Australia, despite the well-publicised views of some members opposite.

There have been improvements in transparency and freedoms in Turkey as it continues to negotiate for its admission to the European Union. I note that this is referred to in the amended motion circulated by the honourable member for Mitchell. We need to be encouraging Turkey to build on these reforms. It is true that there is an ongoing dispute about the property of Christian churches and individuals. Turkish law allows the state to expropriate land when the size of a local non-Muslim community falls significantly. The United States Department of State also reports that the state has expropriated the properties of individuals who had left Turkey or died without heirs. All honourable members would join together in calling for this situation to be fixed.

It is also important for the future that the wrongs of the past are acknowledged. I believe the Assyrian people, among others, have a legitimate concern to ensure that the terrible events of 1915 are properly acknowledged and commemorated. The Turkish people and the Assyrian people could then join together in the acknowledgment that we must all work together to ensure that such events can never happen again—just as the Turkish and Australian people joined together in friendship after Gallipoli, especially after the warm words of acknowledgment of Ataturk, who paid tribute to the Australian men he fought against on the shores of Gallipoli.

In conclusion, I support the calls for freedom of religion everywhere and the need for the rights of Christians in Turkey to be respected. I do not believe that the Turkish government is anti-Christian—the Turkish constitution would not allow it to be. But I do believe that Christian communities in Turkey have legitimate concerns that need to be addressed. We need to extend a hand of friendship and cooperation to leaders of secular Muslim nations. While we may not always agree, we can work together towards greater tolerance and understanding of each other.

Danna Vale (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In a world torn by religious conflict and beset by religious tension, it is worth reminding ourselves that a spiritual belief is one of the greatest and deepest needs of humankind. This is a fact that sometimes gets lost in a humanist, secular world which itself has bred its share of similar conflict and tension. Not all paths lead to God. Not all faiths and religions are the same, and that fact can be the source of discord and dispute amongst peoples. But we must always remember that each person on the face of this earth is a creation of God, who treasures each and every one of us, despite our failings and ungodliness.

The modern Republic of Turkey is a democratic and secular nation that has done much to achieve religious harmony amongst its peoples and deserves our commendation. Over 90 years ago, because of a humanistic conflict, Turkey became home to the graves of many thousands of young Australian soldiers who fought and died on Turkish soil at Gallipoli. Today all Australians would join me in expressing their appreciation for the help and hospitality that the Turkish government and people give to the Australians who visit the Gallipoli peninsula each year. Despite the inauspicious start to our relationship, today there is a warm, strong bond of mutual respect and friendship between our two democratic nations.

The law of Turkey establishes that country as a secular state and provides for freedom of belief, freedom of worship and the private dissemination of religious ideas. However, other laws regarding the integrity and existence of the secular state constrain these rights. In noting this, I again acknowledge the steps that Turkey has taken toward ensuring religious harmony. In keeping with these efforts, and in the knowledge that a secular state does not need to be an irreligious state, I respectfully urge the Turkish parliament to pass laws that will enable minority groups, including Christian organisations, to reclaim property that has been expropriated from them in the past. In particular, I ask that Turkish Christian foundations be allowed to acquire legal ownership of properties that were once registered under the names of, for example, saints and archangels during periods when foundations could not own property in their own name. Such gestures by the Turkish authorities would be warmly appreciated here in Australia, where we have extended the right of freedom of worship and the building of mosques to those settlers of Turkish origin.

It would also be noted with appreciation if, likewise, the Turkish authorities would allow the Halke seminary to reopen, which I understand was closed in 1971, when all private institutions of higher learning were nationalised. I respectfully seek that the Armenian Apostolic Seminary in Istanbul be reopened and that other Christian denominations, such as the Syriac Orthodox Church, be allowed to operate seminaries of their own. I understand that currently religious communities other than Sunni Muslims cannot legally train new clergy in the country for eventual leadership. Hopefully, this may change. Educated Turkish clergy providing leadership to their churches instead of coreligionists from abroad would be an asset to Turkish national identity and to the Turkish nation in the modern world of closer economic cooperation.

Finally, I would like to respectfully encourage the good people of Turkey—a very large nation that plays a unique and geostrategic role as the bridge between Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East—to persevere in their efforts, together with the United Nations and its Secretary-General, the United Nations’s committees and the EU, to achieve more people-to-people contact and reconciliation and to reach a just and lasting peaceful settlement to the Cyprus dispute. We in Australia have been greatly blessed by both Turkish and Greek Cypriots, about 19,500 in number, who have come to our land as settlers and share our community in peace. I understand that the Cypriot community in Australia is the second largest outside Cypress, after the United Kingdom.

Here in Australia both Christians and Muslims from Cypress and Turkey are free to worship, to build their churches and mosques, to exercise their free will under democratically formed law, to educate their children in religious schools of their choosing and to associate together as they choose within the one island territory and state that is Australia. I would urge both Turkey and Greece to help the birth of a new democratic Cypriot state, encompassing the whole island, where all the people of Cypress can enjoy the same conditions in friendship and prosperity and without fear of the future. I commend this motion to the House.

Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of this motion moved by the member for Mitchell with reference to the Republic of Turkey and its relations with the different Christian minorities in the area. This motion was seconded by the member for Prospect. It was to be seconded by the member for Barton, who has a great interest in this area and unfortunately was unable to speak today. Firstly, I would like to point out that the Greek-Australian community and the Turkish-Australian community should be commended for the peaceful manner in which they coexist in this country, as was mentioned in the motion by the member for Mitchell. In a climate of world tension and unrest these two communities have set an example of how to live and learn with people of all nationalities and religions.

I too welcome Turkey’s request for membership of the European Union, but there are certain areas of responsibility and concern that quite simply cannot be ignored, and one of them is the reunification of the island of Cyprus. That is paramount. This is a central and critical issue that the Turkish government must act upon without hesitation. Cyprus remains divided after the Turkish invasion of 1974. Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any other country throughout the world. It is recognised only by the Republic of Turkey. The fact that over 200,000 Cypriots were expelled from their country courtesy of the invasion in 1974 makes it one of the great tragedies of modern day history. It is time to take whatever action is necessary for ensuring that this issue is resolved once and for all. The only acceptable outcome is for Cyprus to become unified.

I would also like to mention Turkey’s relations with the Christian minorities in the Republic of Turkey. While there have been reforms, promises of reforms and some improvements in this area, we must prove beyond doubt that the Turkish government is prepared and willing to conform to expectations from governments all over the world that they should be viewed as a worthy member of the European community. The government of the Republic of Turkey must dispel once and for all global concerns that, if admitted to the European Union, it would pose a problem.

We must ensure that human rights are preserved. They can begin this process by adhering to the following: return to the Christian minorities properties that have been and continue to be expropriated by the state. In particular, the Greek and Armenian Orthodox communities have lost numerous properties to the state in the past and continue to fight ongoing efforts by the state for these properties. I hope the government of Turkey realises that this practice of seizing properties from minority Christian communities must stop immediately and all properties must be returned to their rightful owners.

The Turkish government must allow the reopening of the Greek Orthodox Theological College on the island of Halke, the most important teaching institution in the Orthodox world. It was closed in 1971 after claims that private tertiary educational institutions were not permitted to operate in Turkey. The Turkish government must also permit the reopening of the Armenian Apostolic Seminary in Istanbul. The government of the Republic of Turkey must allow all other Christian denominations, in particular the Syriac Orthodox one, to conduct seminaries of their own.

As the eyes of the world watch closely with great interest the unfolding of Turkey’s request for admission to the European Union as a full member—and I am sure everyone supports that admission—I sincerely hope that the government of Turkey will listen to the voices of governments around the world and of the European Union and comply with the expectations put before them. There are some very welcoming signs that the government will take these up. Firstly, we welcome the initial cautious attitude adopted by the current Justice and Development Party (AKP) government of Prime Minister Erdogan on the Armenian genocide and we hope he will continue to retain an open mind on this burning issue. Secondly, we welcome other initiatives by the current Prime Minister, including cosponsoring, with the Prime Minister of Spain, the UN auspice initiative for the Alliance of Civilisations. Thirdly, there are healthy and encouraging signs for Turkish democracy that courageous voices, such as that of Turkey’s leading novelist, Orhan Pamuk, are being heard over this issue. I remind members of the remarks Pamuk made concerning the Armenian genocide during an interview in February 2005 with the Swiss magazine Das Magazin. He said:

Thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it.

He was subsequently prosecuted but the charges were dropped. I hope these comments help in some way to ensure that peace reigns in Asia Minor forever and a day so that we will live in a peaceful world.

Harry Jenkins (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting Monday.