Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I offer you my congratulations on your election as Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Can the foreign minister update the House on his meeting with the East Timorese foreign minister in Darwin, following the attack on East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Finance, Competition Policy and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the member for Dickson something that he wants to share with the whole chamber? I think that he should sit there quietly.

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Page for her question and acknowledge her longstanding interest in East Timor. On Tuesday I travelled to Darwin to meet with the East Timorese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Zacarias da Costa. The purpose of that visit was to relay personally to the East Timorese foreign minister the Australian government’s response to the deplorable acts that had occurred earlier in the week in respect of the East Timorese President, Dr Ramos-Horta, with the attack on him, and the attack upon the East Timorese Prime Minister.

I took the opportunity of speaking to medical staff at the Royal Darwin Hospital, in whose care the President is. I also took the opportunity of speaking with Ramos-Horta’s family. I personally relayed to Zacarias da Costa the Australian government’s speedy response to the deplorable events. Firstly, I relayed our best wishes for a speedy recovery so far as the President was concerned. Secondly, I relayed our quick response to the East Timorese government’s request for support: additional troops, additional police and the stationing of HMAS Perth off the coast of Dili.

The East Timorese response was one of very grateful acknowledgement of our support. The foreign minister and I agreed that—after the East Timorese government, the Australian government, the United Nations and the international stabilisation force had effected a full and proper evaluation—we would take account of what, if any, lessons there were to be learned as a result of these terrible actions.

Taking the opportunity to speak to the medical staff at the hospital, two things became clear. Firstly, but for the very skilled work under enormous pressure at the Aspen medical facility in Dili, the President would not now be in the serious but stable condition that he is in. Secondly, at the Royal Darwin Hospital the President is in the highest quality care. Before I came into the chamber, having checked upon the President’s medical condition, I was informed that he remains in a serious but stable state. Members would appreciate that in these circumstances stability is progress.

I also took the opportunity of expressing the Australian government’s and the Australian people’s sorrow and sympathy to members of the President’s family, in particular his mother and his sister. The family members are very appreciative of those best wishes and also very appreciative of the good work that is being done at very short notice by officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade who are doing their best to take care of the family members visiting Darwin in these terrible circumstances. Can I also indicate that I took the opportunity of meeting with the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, who indicated to me the Territory government’s readiness and willingness to provide whatever support they can to the family.

This morning I took a phone call from the Portuguese foreign minister, who expressed his concern to me. Portugal has a longstanding historical and emotional interest in East Timor, and the minister indicated to me that once an evaluation had been done Portugal stood ready to consider any requests that might come its way. Portugal will do that in full cooperation and consultation with the Australian government. I am appreciative of that expression of support and best wishes from the Portuguese government.

The East Timorese foreign minister, Zacarias da Costa, has returned to Dili from Darwin, but I very much hope that he will be in a position to visit Australia next week as part of a longstanding arrangement for a guest-of-government visit to Australia. That will entirely depend on the circumstances in Dili which, as I came to question time, were still being described as tense but calm. We certainly hope that that continues. The Prime Minister will visit Dili and speak with the East Timorese Prime Minister tomorrow, relaying all the things that I have outlined to the House. At the first available opportunity he is personally attending Dili at a time of great need as far as East Timor is concerned, reflecting the Australian government’s, the Australian parliament’s and the Australian people’s longstanding support for and longstanding friendship and special relationship with East Timor.