Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Only last month the Independent Republic of South Sudan came into existence as the culmination of a comprehensive peace agreement creating two Sudanese nations. It is a momentous threshold to be crossed in a part of Africa that has been ripped through with conflict and suffering for nearly half a century. It offers the prospect of greater peace and stability and of less violence, displacement and suffering for the Sudanese, but in all reality this prospect is still distant and uncertain.

In human history, whenever conflict is sought to be resolved by separation, by the creation of separate geographical and sovereign regions and through the distillation of separate political, ethnic or religious populations, the fracture is never achieved without difficulty and pain and inevitably the point of separation represents a period of heightened danger, dislocation and violence. That is true in the Sudan.

The comprehensive peace agreement between north and south may have brought a formal end to a civil conflict that has been more or less continuous for 50 years, but the violence has not ended. It is estimated that 1.4 million Sudanese are currently affected by conflict in South Kordofan, one of three key protocol areas, and at least 200,000 are internally displaced. Some of the preconditions for independence set out in the comprehensive peace agreement have not yet been met, including notably the determination processes that were required to be held in critical border zones. The promised referendum on the status of Abyei has not been held and nor have the popular consultations in southern Kordofan and Blue Nile state. In recent weeks there have been reports of the targeted intensive slaughter of the marginalised Nuba ethnic group in South Kordofan and there is a desperate need for an enforceable ceasefire in that region.

The border region of Abyei encapsulates much of what is difficult in bringing peace to Sudan. Abyei is an oil producing region in a country where oil production and oil wealth are the most valuable prize. Eighty per cent of Sudan's oil reserves are located in South Sudan, but the only pipelines run to the north where the refineries are also located. Under the CPA Abyei is supposed to have been subject to its own referendum in order to determine whether it will belong to the north or the south. Like Kashmir, it is a fragment that has bound within it a number of the root causes that define the Sudanese dilemma.

To people in Australia this will be a blur of regional names and acronyms that in the end are likely to be reduced to the general sense that the Sudan and its people are trapped in a state of unfathomable, intractable, internecine conflict, but we have to move beyond that barrier of incomprehension if we are, in Australia and in the international community as a whole, committed to supporting the achievement of peace and security for our fellow human beings and greater global stability and prosperity.

In addition to reflecting on what is a pressing international and humanitarian crisis—and I want to thank the member for Chifley for seconding this motion and to thank all members who have chosen to contribute to this discussion today—I hope the motion will have a further constructive value in identifying the steps Australia can take to continue our role as a contributor to the future peace and stability of South and North Sudan.

As part of its expansion and reorientation of Australian development assistance, this government has recognised the need to direct aid not only to our region but also to those parts of the world that need it most, and of course this includes Africa. The Sudan is already the second-largest recipient in Africa of Australia's humanitarian assistance, including the provision of $136 million since 2004, but there is more that we can consider doing at this critical juncture. Perhaps the highest priority is the protection of Sudanese civilians, whose safety depends on the observance of the current Status of Forces Agreement and it would be significantly aided if the peacekeeping capacity in areas like South Kordofan were strengthened, which could occur through the expansion of the UN interim security force for Abyei, or UNISFA mandate. Australia should continue to engage with the troika countries, the US, UK and Norway, to support the urgent creation of effective constitutions for North and South Sudan and to make representations to the government of Sudan to improve humanitarian access.

As an example of how difficult and frustrating the peacekeeping task in Sudan is for peace keepers, four UNISFA staff were killed when their vehicle hit a land mine two weeks ago, with the tragedy made worse by the fact that three of the four survived the initial blast, but died before medical help could arrive when the Sudanese government refused to allow the airlift, saying any unauthorised helicopter in the vicinity would be shot down. As I have done in this place a number of times, I pay tribute to all those who make the sacrifices necessary to give the best of themselves as peacekeepers and, in doing so, demonstrate the best of human nature.

There is no doubt that the commitment of predictable and long-term assistance funding is of great value in the circumstances that apply in Sudan. Australia is recognised for its substantial contributions to UN operations in Sudan, including generous contributions to the central emergency fund and the UN Sudan common humanitarian fund. A number of NGOs have identified the importance of Australia's long-term commitment to this kind of funding, especially where it is directed at the safe return of North and South Sudanese, the humanitarian effort in Darfur, where the terrible conflict is now in its eighth year, and ongoing, predictable funding to the UN and other non-government agencies.

I would like to share the experience of an extraordinary young Sudanese Australian women, Nyadol Nyuon, who has been in the parliament yesterday and today as part of a Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Forum for 10 young Australian women to consider ways to increase the number of women in parliament. Nyadol, who is 23 years old, is the Commonwealth nominee for this event. Her family originates from South Sudan, but she was born and raised in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, until her family was accepted for resettlement through the Australian humanitarian program in 2005. Nyadol became an Australian citizen on 11 November 2010. Since her arrival Nyadol has worked within the social services sector to raise awareness of the impact of settlement on young people and how emerging communities might be better assisted in their settlement process. She has completed a bachelor of arts and is currently studying a law degree at the University of Melbourne. This incredible young woman sits on the board of the Ethnic Community Council of Victoria, the Federal Ethnic Community Council of Australia and the Australian Youth Forum among other things. She has published articles for the Australasian Review of African Studies. Nyadol was in South Sudan for the independence celebrations on 9 July. She shared with me these thoughts about her new nation:

Six years ago I sat in a classroom of over 90 students. I was a stateless refugee. Now I am attending a forum at Parliament House and a citizen not only of Australia, but now also South Sudan. Australia has given me so much that I cannot give back. My greatest hope is that others, such as those I left behind in refugee camps, can go back to an independent South Sudan and be able to achieve and live meaningful and dignified lives, but I know from my own experience and visits to that country last year to vote in the historic referendum and a month ago to witness the declaration of independence, that such an achievement will be hard to attain.

Nyadol identified three main areas where Australia can assist South Sudan: governance, agriculture and women's empowerment. She said:

Good governance, the greatest challenge of all, and the enforcement of the rule of law are essential to South Sudan's stability. The complex mixture of tribal and ethnic tension, poverty and a history of war pose great risks to development instability.

South Sudan is blessed with fertile soil in the River Nile. Some have called it the bread basket of the East African region. South Sudan has the possibility of not only feeding its own people, but the whole region. Development of the agricultural sector would reduce dependency on oil, reducing tensions between the south and the north, but also lead to food security. The potential of South Sudan land has been realised and exploited so far by the gulf countries, India, China and even South Korea. These countries are buying or negotiating to buy huge areas of land to feed their own population needs, while South Sudan continues to be one of the countries heavily dependent on aid with over a million citizens currently receiving food aid. She goes on to say:

Poverty is a catalyst for war. For example, tribal conflict arising from raiding cattle of neighbouring tribes is currently one of the challenges facing the South Sudan administration. As of yesterday, 300 people died in conflict resulting from cattle raiding. Australia can contribute great knowledge and skill in the agricultural sector.

She continued:

In Sudan a girl is more likely to die in child birth than complete primary school. Education in Sudan is desperately needed to break the cycle of poverty. Eighty-six per cent of girls have no formal education, 96.5 per cent cannot read or write more than their name, 99 per cent have no electricity, 98.5 per cent have no access to running water, 93 per cent have lost at least one family member, 68 per cent of married women live in a polygamist marriage.

She says:

These statistics mean that women cannot sufficiently contribute to the political and economic life of the country and this can only disadvantage a country like Sudan, which really needs all hands on board.

Nyadol concludes by noting that 'investing in women, particularly in developing countries, is one of the most effective ways of aiding the development process'.

I pay tribute to this remarkable young woman, Nyadol Nyuon, who has already endured and achieved so much on behalf of both of her beloved countries, Australia and South Sudan. I also note the enthusiasm of the Sudanese Australian community in general to contribute not only to Australia but also to the harmonious development of the new state of South Sudan. I am confident that Australia will do all it can to assist the 193rd member state of the United Nations to achieve its full potential.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would not want the motion to lapse for want of a seconder, knowing that one was present. It is an important motion and I want to commend the member for Fremantle for raising this matter. I was fascinated with her comments. The only part she missed out was the fact that I, in an earlier life, had the opportunity to institute the program for resettlement of Sudanese refugees, but I am not sensitive about those matters. I only wish to observe that I was delighted to hear of the success of one of those people who came to Australia for resettlement through the front door. It is a particularly important program.

It was very interesting that in one of the recent debates on Q&A there was a lady who put herself in the shoes of a refugee and went to Kakuma in particular where so many Southern Sudanese have been housed for so long. She saw a lot of the suffering that they endured and appreciated very much the fact that these were some of the people who do not have the funds to engage a people smuggler, are not free enough to travel and would remain there were it not for the fact that we did have a generous refugee resettlement program. I was delighted to hear of those comments and the acknowledgement in the motion. However, if I may, I want to focus on the broader points in this debate, because I think it is appropriate to acknowledge the fact that a new nation has emerged as a result of a referendum for the independence of Southern Sudan. There is now a unique opportunity for us to play a part in building the future of a new nation.

Like the member for Fremantle, I am concerned that there have been continuing pressures and hostilities in some of the areas that have often been the subject of contest because of resources. One hopes that situation will not in any way deteriorate. I think it is important that Australia uses its aid to assist Southern Sudan in particular. There is a unique opportunity for us to be doing just that. Having recently visited Africa, I have made some comments about aid programs, and it germane to perhaps consider them in the context of this resolution.

I think Australia has some areas of expertise in which it can help in a unique way that others cannot. I have identified some of those programs in other parts of Africa. Australia's expertise in dry-land farming means that Australia can bring organisations like CSIRO to do research and assist in the development of those sorts of skills for feeding Africa's very large populations. It is a unique capacity and it is not something that others can do. I think there is insufficient emphasis on identifying those areas in which we can leverage our support. I had the opportunity of visiting a very marvellous Australian, Ms Hamlin, in Ethiopia. The leverage that you can have with an outstanding Australia who has made a commitment to Africa in the way in which she has is another matter on which you can build.

Some time ago I suggested to the government that there was another area in which Australia was uniquely positioned to help. I raised it with the former member for Fraser Bob McMullen, who was then dealing with aid issues. I have heard nothing further from the Australian government in relation to it. However, I had the opportunity of meeting a very unique Southern Sudanese gentleman by the name of Henry Dang Dang. I met him at a conference organised by an organisation that was once known as Moral Re-Armament, which was of great interest to members for Fremantle. It is now called Initiatives of Change. That organisation brings people together who are going to be involved particularly in the process of reconciliation and nation building. Henry Dang Dang was one such person.

In the context of the elements of isolation that some people in Sudan feel because of the prosecution of the President for war crimes, there are issues which engage the United Nations about which both Sudan and Southern Sudan are unwilling to engage with the international community through the United Nations. Australia has had an enormous experience in dealing with demining, and dealing with issues in relation to rehabilitating populations who have been injured as a result of hostilities. It has done that in places such as Afghanistan and Cambodia. Henry Dang Dang, who was in charge of the issue of dealing with the rehabilitation of those wounded through hostilities and who was dealing with the issue of restoring capacity, reusing arable lands through demining, recognised that Australia could play a very unique role by bringing its expertise to bear where the international community was not able to be involved.

I raised this with the government almost two years ago. We have been increasing very significantly our aid in relation to Africa. But there is an opportunity here with a new nation that we can develop a unique relationship with in the future that to date has not been picked up by the government. It disappoints me greatly. Henry Dang Dang was even willing to come to Australia to talk to our aid officials about the way in which they could engage in developing this initiative.

Perhaps the minister and those who have responsibility for the aid program have been working behind the scenes on these issues and have not come back to me to tell me. It may be that that is the case. I would hope it is, but I suspect silence probably suggests that nothing has been done and that the opportunity is being fast lost. Here is a person who is of some influence in a new government saying to us, 'You are uniquely placed to be able to bring that tremendous experience that you have had in helping rebuild a nation that has been ravaged by war.' The reality is they cannot restore the capacity to be able to feed their own people unless they are able to demine those areas which have been so impacted by hostilities in the past.

There is going to be a significant disarmament of people who have been engaged in hostilities occurring. There is an opportunity to be able to help in that process. Of course, there are those who have been tragically afflicted by fighting who need to be assisted and aided.

I want to use this opportunity to congratulate the member for Fremantle on raising this issue. This is a unique opportunity for Australia and I hope all of us can say to the government now, as this nation builds its future, that Australia can link with them in a very special way. It is not just through the people that we have resettled who may be able to go back and play useful roles in rebuilding the nation; but by building up our linkages on those matters in which they have asked us to be engaged.

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise in support of the motion circulated by the member for Fremantle regarding the conflict in Sudan. I do thank her for bringing this important matter to our attention. On 9 July this year, following an overwhelming vote for independence by the people of Southern Sudan, two new nations emerged in what was an historic moment for Sudan and the African continent. Before, during and after the birth of the world's newest nation, Sudan had been gripped by civil war, famine and other humanitarian crises. Immediately after Sudan's referendum I made a commitment in this place to work with our local Sudanese support services in my electorate of Greenway to enhance the lives of Sudanese Australians. Today I would like to reaffirm this commitment and discuss the conflict that is plaguing the Sudanese region. I would also like to acknowledge the presence of the member for Chifley, whose electorate also shares a large number of Sudanese settlers in western Sydney. I am sure he shares that affirmation.

According to the United Nations, since 2003 the conflict in Sudan has resulted in up to 300,000 people losing their lives as a result of violence, hunger and disease and almost three million people displaced. As indicated by the BBC, accurate figures are difficult to research and have made no distinction between those dying as a result of violence and those dying as a result of starvation or disease in the camps.

Resulting from disputes over land rights in the Darfur region of Sudan in 2003, the conflict has plagued the region for almost eight years. But as the US State Department outlines, Sudan has been at war with itself for more than three-quarters of its existence. Since independence in 1953, protracted conflict rooted in deep cultural and religious differences have slowed Sudan's economic and political development and caused massive internal displacement of people.

On 9 September 2004, the then US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, told a foreign relations committee that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility and that genocide may still be occurring. Most recently, conflict has flared in the border region of Abyei causing mass displacement and loss of life. According to the United Nations, 100,000 people have fled the disputed region, causing a major humanitarian disaster. In April of this year Sudan's President said he would not recognise the South's independence unless it gave up the claim on Abyei made in the South's draft constitution.

As stated in the member's motion, insecurity and inaccessibility remain amongst the biggest challenges facing the delivery of assistance by humanitarian agencies to vulnerable populations. Earlier this year I said in this place that to ensure that South Sudan can prosper and remain a safe and productive nation; the Australian government must have an active role in the development of this young nation. I would like to turn to the Sudanese community in my local area, because this motion is of the utmost importance to the large and very active Sudanese community I represent.

I have previously mentioned the huge displacement that has been caused by the continuous conflict in Sudan. This displacement is very tangibly evident in Blacktown. I am reminded of this when I attend Blacktown City Council citizenship ceremonies in particular, which regularly comprise a large number of proud Sudanese born people who have chosen to call Australia home. This large Sudanese community makes a tremendous contribution to the multicultural fabric of our electorate. However, any new Australian citizens who have come from scenes of extreme violence in their homeland will of course unfortunately always find it difficult to feel truly included in their new homeland.

In the Blacktown community there are a number of leaders in multicultural services who are committed to addressing these very serious issues surrounding our newest Sudanese Australians. I would like to mention a few of them. St Patrick's Blacktown parish priest, Father Peter Confeggi, operates a service that deals with Sudanese Australian youth. Fr Confeggi works with members of the Sudanese community to ensure that young Sudanese Australians do not fall into traps of antisocial behaviour but are instead included and accepted in wider society.

Blacktown Police Superintendent Mark Wright works with Sudanese community leaders to ensure that young Sudanese Australians do not become involved in antisocial or illegal activity. Superintendent Wright has told me that we can do all we can in terms of sporting and other community initiatives to contribute to inclusive behaviour. Indeed, this has been successful in contributing to the betterment of the Sudanese community in Blacktown. However, his view is that there is a real risk of the next generation, the generation being affected by the most recent fighting in Sudan, falling into patterns of unacceptable behaviour.

Earlier this month I was joined by the Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs at Sydwest Multicultural Services in Blacktown to launch a new federally funded program designed to encourage good social behaviour in public spaces with a particular focus on our new settlement communities. The reality is individual members of the public often make judgments about specific nationalities unfortunately in an often generalised way based on behaviours they observe in public spaces, be it Blacktown Mall, WestPoint Blacktown Shopping Centre or around Blacktown station, and the behaviours of some often determine how members of the wider community judge the whole. Sydwest does a fantastic job in helping new Australians, including many Sudanese Australians, to become established in their new homeland. I am confident that this new program will lead to positive outcomes in our local area.

I have previously mentioned in this place Blacktown resident and President of the Equatorial Community Welfare Association of New South Wales, Mr Faustino Aboka, who lost seven family members during the civil war in Sudan. He now calls Blacktown his home and works as a role model for new Sudanese Australians in our local area.

All of these people work to ensure that the Sudanese Australian community are embraced in the local community of western Sydney in particular and are able to live and work in their new homeland. All of these community leaders have expressed concerns to me regarding the most recent fighting in the contested region of Abyei in particular, and I made a commitment to them that I would continue to raise this issue with Foreign Minister Rudd.

I take this opportunity also to mention the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding currently in the Horn of Africa. East Africa is currently experiencing the worst drought in 60 years. According to UNICEF, in Southern Somalia a famine has been declared and some 600,000 children are on the brink of death suffering from severe acute malnutrition. The world is currently witnessing one of the worst natural disasters ever and of course we cannot stand by idly and do nothing. I thank the Foreign Minister for his rapid response to this crisis and note that Australia is currently the world's fourth largest country donor to the Horn of Africa, providing more than $88 million. However, we can never afford to be trapped by the perils of indifference and I encourage everyone in this place to do whatever they can to help the people of East Africa in their time of need.

In conclusion, I again thank the member for Fremantle for bringing these important issues to the attention of the house. As set out in item 7 of the member's motion, I believe we here are all of the same mind, that this government needs to provide ongoing and predictable, diplomatic and funding resources to address humanitarian and development needs in North and South Sudan. I also reaffirm my commitment to the Sudanese population living in my electorate and thank the various community leaders in Greenway for all their hard work in ensuring that these new Australians are included constructively in our society.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to support this motion in relation to South Sudan. It is a community with which I have had a great deal of involvement over a number of years now. In particular, it goes back to 2007 when, as the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, I was charged with the case of George Forbes. George Forbes was an Australian contractor in South Sudan. There was a tragic suicide of another contractor from Eastern Europe. Mr Forbes was set up—and I say this as somebody who is very cautious about overseas legal proceedings; but there was no question that this was a case of suicide—and the local authorities found that, and then there was a random decision to prosecute. Mr Forbes was held in a local prison in desperate circumstances and was facing not just the death penalty but potentially death through illness in horrific prison circumstances prior to that.

We mobilised the Australian ambassador from Cairo at the time, Bob Bowker, who did a tremendous job. He lived in a tent and a mud brick hut in two different parts of South Sudan. He worked with the South Sudanese authorities. We also brought to bear an Australian legal team led by Julian McMahon from Melbourne, a friend of mine from university years who has become an outstanding human rights barrister, among other things, in Melbourne. As well, we brought together a team from Door of Hope. Door of Hope is a Melbourne-based church charity group. They have a particular focus in southern Sudan because at that time southern Sudan was not independent and Door of Hope, led by Bryan Grasby and introduced to me through my great friend Andrew Heard, has long been doing on-the-ground practical work through things such as assisting in providing brick-making facilities and local support. They have built great links, trust and confidence with the southern Sudanese authorities as that country moved towards independence.

What was critical was that at a time when the government, through the Australian ambassador, was doing all it could to get Mr Forbes a release, things became quite dramatic. Mr Forbes's health deteriorated and, had it not been for the intervention through Brian Grasby direct to the general secretary of the southern Sudanese authorities, it would have been almost impossible to have had justice done and Mr Forbes may well have perished in the southern Sudanese jail before he had a chance to face the courts and to be appropriately cleared.

What then occurred was that Brian Grasby rang the general secretary of the southern Sudanese authorities and explained the situation that there was not a question of doubt, but a manifest, clear, absolute injustice and that the life of an Australian was in imminent threat through illness. Mr Forbes was guaranteed release and given time in hospital where he was able to recover. In the meantime the legal proceedings were conducted at a higher court of authority. The submission by Julian McMahon, through local lawyers, on behalf of Mr Forbes was adopted in large part as the reasoning and rationale of the court, which gave a complete clearance—a complete quashing—of the lower court's verdict. Mr Forbes was released with a perfectly clear record and with the finding that there was a manifest injustice, that this was a clear case of suicide and that there was absolutely no relationship to Mr Forbes. So the life of an Australian contractor who had been helping to develop a country which was going through a course of development, attempting to move from the extreme and grinding poverty which had characterised southern Sudan, was saved. For that, I thank both the Australian ambassador at the time, Bob Bowker, and also in particular Brian Grasby; his assistant Michelle; Andrew Heard for the connection, and for all of those involved.

This was a precursor to the path through which southern Sudan has subsequently travelled. It provided a basis for the Australian government, through successive Prime Ministers, to engage with the southern Sudanese authorities. As part of the confidence building program, it was subsequently agreed that the Australian government would assist in judicial training and judicial information, in particular to help the lower courts develop standards, structures and training sufficient that no such case of manifest justice would occur again.

The result, however, has been far more positive than any of us would have hoped at the time. Southern Sudan has been through a process of a plebiscite on national independence. That was overwhelmingly passed by the population. The country has come into being as of 9 July. I appreciate the work of the foreign minister's chief of staff, Philip Green, in facilitating the project put forward by Door of Hope for a brick-making facility to be part of Australia's independence gift. It is real. It is practical. It will help create local jobs as well as create local construction and development. These are the simple and practical things that are good examples of the Australian aid program in action. They certainly beat financial support direct to governments where there is not necessarily control over the funds.

Looking forward, South Sudan has a difficult road to hope. Let us be absolutely clear about that. It is a road which will have to overcome drought and famine within the region. It will have to overcome the problems of potential military conflict with its northern neighbour in terms of the rump of Sudan, which still remains under an authoritarian leader and an authoritarian government with a bent towards sharia law which in the Darfur province to the west of the country has presided over a catastrophic and tragic famine with huge human input in the form of the treatment of the local people. Fortunately, southern Sudan is now independent. It is responsible for its own future. It has that opportunity, but it will not be easy.

On the plus side, however, it has significant oil resources and it appears that there is yet to be a full post-succession arrangement for oil between Juba, the capital of southern Sudan and Khartoum in the remaining rump of what was previously Sudan and comprises the northern Sudanese area now. I understand there are also many mineral resources of great potential. I hope that there is a transparent process of freeing up those resources in a way which guarantees local community development, which does not lead to unbridled environmental impact, which is done through processes that provide long-term stable revenues to the development of the country, and that it avoids any corruption. There needs to be transparency in southern Sudan and I think one important investment from Australia would be to ensure that the processes for future tendering, for future mineral leases, are conducted through as open, transparent and non-corrupt bureaucratic and tendering mechanisms as possible. That would be a fair and reasonable place which would get opposition support if Australia were to dedicate some post-independence resources out of its aid program, as well as in the direct aid. If we can marshal the resources of that country in a way which helps the people then we can truly give southern Sudan a way forward.

I thank Bryan Grasby, Bob Bowker, Andrew Heard and all involved for their long history of supporting this country. (Time expired)

Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fremantle has certainly endeavoured in this resolution to cover the full gamut of Sudan's issues, from the incursions by the infamous Lords' Resistance Army from Uganda to the situation in Darfur and the Janjaweed, a militia which is supposedly independent but is essentially armed and financed by the government of Sudan, to the question of South Sudan's recent independent announcement and the long-term problems of this nation. They are all included in this resolution.

Sudan, of course, has multiple issues confronting it. Its under-five mortality is 112 per 1,000 people. Ninety per cent of the nation lives on less than $1 per day and its maternal mortality is infamous, indeed, with 2,000-plus women out of every 100,000 dying in child birth.

Turning to Darfur, there has been a wide variety of estimates of how many have perished in this conflict. The World Health Organisation at one stage quoted 50,000. A British parliamentary inquiry has estimated 300,000, but the Lancet magazine, the famous British medical magazine, in January 2010 said that there was a 95 per cent confidence that the numbers were between 178,000 and 461,000. By any person's estimates, a significant number of people that have perished and, as I said, historically it is the so-called militias. There are issues, of course, between herders and between agriculturalists. There is, of course, an Arab negroid divide within the country, but it is essentially a regime that is excoriated throughout the world. The Bashir regime is, indeed, perpetrating most of these problems. The number of times in which military vehicles have been traceable to the regime and the number of times that armaments have been traced to them is on the public record.

We should also be historically concerned about Russia's continued violation of arms embargoes instituted by the United Nations. That has not helped the situation. There have been the disguised Russian purchased planes—disguised in actual fact as UN planes—that have participated in this conflict.

Historically, the government in the north has instigated an Arab apartheid style process, discriminating very intensely against those people who are essentially of negroid extraction, whether they be animist or Christian or indeed, in some cases, fellow Muslims.

The motion recognises the recent independence of South Sudan, which I think we are all pleased was the outcome of the 2005 Peace Settlement. Throughout the whole period there have been grave doubts that the regime in Khartoum would honour its agreement and, of course, in this last year there have been border conflicts around areas where there are issues as to the population balance, but also issues towards access to resources. It has been positive that a country with Juba as a capital with 8¼ million people has been established. It has been recognised internationally and, as the previous speaker indicated, there has been aid assistance.

This, of course, is a very complex country. Probably one of my continuing memories is to attend with my colleague the member for Parramatta a riverside theatre event about five years ago with 500 people attending where there were 30-plus dance troops from different Sudanese ethnic groups. I had a little boy sitting next to me, about five years of age, and his mouth was agape. He could not believe the diversity of people from his own land. He could not understand how he could be a Sudanese from a particular tribal group and yet these people are there so different from him. It was far beyond an Albanian looking at an Estonian folkloric group in Europe.

Obviously the country is dealing with issues of illiteracy and poverty. It is a country that has been put together around colonial boundaries and past European conflicts. It has very significant problems, but these are not assisted by the continuing attitudes of the regime in the north, a regime which, as I indicated, is under a number of international bans and which continues to interfere in other parts of the nation.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(Riverina) (11:43): Riverina has a large Sudanese community and its members have contributed much to our culture. There were plenty of smiles for independence when the local celebrations of the declaration of South Sudan as the world's newest nation were held in Wagga Wagga on Saturday, 16 July, just a week after independence was officially recognised. In fact, of the many events that I have attended in my first year of parliament, this was one of the most joyous. There was sheer delight, spontaneity and a feeling of togetherness at the function. People from all walks of life joined for an afternoon of music, dance and delicious food at a get together like no other.

The Sudanese certainly know how to enjoy themselves. There was plenty of colour and movement as the choir comprising Acol Abuk, Apuol Tong, Susan Tong and Grace Wani performed traditional songs and then joined in the dancing. Soon everyone was on their feet, young and old, clapping hands, raising arms, swirling around and getting into the mood and the exuberant spirit. There was much to be happy about. Before the real action began a discourse on Sudan's troubled history was given. To listen made you really appreciate why the people of South Sudan are so gratified, proud and relieved they have achieved independence.

The Riverina has played an enormous role in multiculturalism in Australia. In fact, Griffith in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area is the cradle of multiculturalism. People from all over the world, from countries where daily conflict and age old civil war is a way of life ended up at Griffith not long after irrigation opened up the area 99 years ago. Today Griffith is the showpiece for Australian multiculturalism. On 26 January this year, 90 flags representing the nations from which Griffiths's people originate flew proudly at the city's Australia Day ceremony. Next year the new ensign for South Sudan will flap proudly in the breeze.

Members of the Riverina's Sudanese community are proud people. They are caring, good people. At the Wagga Wagga independence day commemoration some powerful messages were given about tolerance, community contribution and acceptance. The aspect that I liked most about the day was the involvement of the youngsters. They were included and they showed that the day meant much to them. They are the ones who will bridge the divide between cultures. It is already being done on many levels, not least of which is sport. The Sudanese have already shown their proficiency in football, both soccer and the great game we invented, Australian Rules. Sudanese are a tall people and their speed and height will be assets to Aussie Rules. You certainly cannot deny they have other attributes which contribute to play the code, and I speak of toughness. South Sudan's independence underlines just how tough, how determined and how fiercely committed its people are to change to a better way of life to the future—their future, our future, a shared future, a shared vision.

In the 2007 census there were just 46 Sudanese people included in the Wagga Wagga statistics. That number has grown. One of Wagga Wagga's Sudanese refugees is Constance Okot, who took an active part in the local 16 July festivities. She came to my home town, a place she now, too, calls home after fleeing war-ravaged Sudan. She came to Wagga Wagga to escape a life in which each day was filled with uncertainty, fear and an overwhelming sense of dread. She did not know whether she or those nearest and dearest to her would see through each day or whether they would still be alive tomorrow or the next day. What a dreadful way to live your life!

I will not exaggerate. It has not been an easy transition for Constance and other Sudanese people. It has had its challenges, its upheavals, but Constance is a person of faith, of hope. She wants to try to ensure that refugees assimilate into Australian society. She wants to dispel the public perception that it cannot work. Constance is working hard to improve the image of her fellow refugees locally. She made an appearance on SBS TV's Cutting Edge, which examined the life of refugees when they reach Australia, and she also spoke with Chris Coleman on ABC Riverina Mornings. How does she like Wagga? 'Things are really nice', she said. 'Things are good. Very different to Sudan. First, when I came here it was like a dream. In Wagga, when I wake up every day I'm very happy. I have a lot of friends; a lot of people who are supporting me. Very happy to be in Wagga.'

On how hard it is to fit into Australian society she said, 'Everybody has a different view or understanding of where to put themselves on where they belong. Everywhere in the world, everywhere you go we can see animals. They're different because they are animals, but you may find when there are new animals, when a sheep is brought in, they will not like that sheep immediately. It is similar for humans. It's normal for human beings. It's up to us to find how to fit in. This is my home. I've decided to be here, to be part of this town or city or whatever.'

On when she found her family, 'Just like a dream', she said. 'You thought you were the only person remaining in the family, then you find somebody still alive.'

Many people forget their name, their age and the names of their children. Ask a Sudanese and most of them are born on 1 January or 25 December. (Time expired)

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to start by thanking the member for Fremantle for facilitating this discussion by moving what is a very important motion. Although it can sometimes be difficult to keep precisely abreast of the conflict in North and South Sudan and the region, given communication problems in the area, it is clear that escalating violence in the region is continuing to cause an unacceptable growth in mass displacement and appalling rates of death. As we have heard, the situation in southern Kordofan, on the border of North and South Sudan is particularly dire at the moment and has not improved since conflict broke out on 6 June in advance of the scheduled independence of South Sudan on 9 July. Other members have expanded on this matter and I add my support to calls for a ceasefire, which is after all the only path towards sustainable peace and political stability in that state.

I believe that Australia has the unambiguous responsibility to support South Sudan, the world's newest nation, as it establishes itself in the region. We also have a responsibility to do our part in ensuring that the facilitation of peace in the areas abutting South Sudan, including most urgently the southern Kordofan, Dafur and Blue Nile regions of Sudan, is resourced and to that end I cannot emphasise how important it is that the government takes heed of the final calls of the member for Fremantle's motion and provides ongoing and predictable diplomatic and funding resources to address humanitarian development needs in the two countries.

Despite the distance between the region and Australia, our country can and must do two things. The first has been embraced. I am proud, Mr Deputy Speaker, of the extent to which Australians and local communities helped to facilitate the recent South Sudan independence referendum here in Australia. It is testament to the strength of the South Sudanese Australian communities and to the cooperation of the IOM, humanitarian crisis hub, AusAID, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs that over the Christmas and New Year's break last year on the request from my office, an extra $15,000 was secured and logistics arranged with local communities to facilitate the transport of eligible voters from South Australia and Tasmania to Melbourne, given that there were no polling booths in those states. The Yes vote in Melbourne was one of the highest in Australia and we assisted the community in creating and then in helping celebrate those results. I have been proud to report to this house from time to time the ways in which the Sudanese community in my electorate and in Victoria have worked together and drawn energy from what has been an historic campaign for independence. But our attention also needs to turn back to the plight of those for whom violence and unrest is a daily reality and to now concentrate on the second means with which we, as a wealthy and stable democracy, can assist them.

The future stability of Sudan and South Sudan was never going to be guaranteed through the independence vote alone. What is happening in the north and the border areas adjoining it require our attention. We cannot take our eyes off the fact that on 9 July two nations were created. If we are intending to be consistent with our continued support for South Sudan and the referendum process, we must play our part within the international community to take action now while a political process is still possible.

We are also in a position, as part of the international community, to provide aid to the millions of people in Sudan who are facing increasingly high levels of food insecurity right now. I recognise the statements made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in recent times regarding Australia's share of the required aid to Sudan but, noting that Australia will be required to provide appropriate development assistance for years to come and noting that the provision of emergency humanitarian support is now paramount, I urge the government to do all it can to increase its humanitarian support for those displaced by this terrible conflict.

There is another form of support that we can provide that became apparent to me over the course of the last several years that I have been working in Melbourne with members of the South Sudanese community. Many people have come here from South Sudan seeking to create their life here. As the member for Riverina said, there are many, many people who now want to call Australia their home and lead a peaceful life making a productive contribution to their community. Many of them are getting on with that. It may not often be seen as such from the media reports but that represents the overwhelming majority of desires of South Sudanese living here.

But there also many who have come to Australia, attracted by its democratic values, who while in Australia have played a very important role in fostering democracy in their home country. I am very pleased that several members of the Melbourne electorate are in fact in South Sudan right now assisting with the creation and establishment of a stable democratic government. I think it is something that, as Australians, we can be extraordinarily proud of that not only can we provide a home and refuge to people but we can also provide a crucible from which democratic values can spread across the world. I put on record the Greens' support for this motion.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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At a very good church that is based within Koondoola , the Flaming Evangelical Church, I have had the opportunity to meet those members of the church who are from the south of Sudan. As other speakers have said, they have welcomed the opportunity to come to Australia and take up the freedoms and the opportunities that this country has provided to them. They have made a good contribution. Whilst it has not always been a smooth path for all people who have come from Sudan, as has been said, the vast majority are very good, law-abiding people who have come here wishing to take up those opportunities.

It is only relatively recently that the times of autonomy within Sudan for the south and now, just in recent weeks, the independence of the south have provided greater hope for the people of Sudan. As we know, the north of Sudan has dominated the country for many years and their system of policies are discriminatory and negative in a lot of ways. But autonomy and now independence have provided the opportunity for the people of South Sudan to flourish.

We know that it is a fairly subsistence type of economy, very rural in its nature. But we also know that 80 per cent of the oil reserves of Sudan are based in the south and this, of course, provides a great opportunity for the wealth of the south to make a positive contribution to the future. It is a very positive future that we see for South Sudan. Even the plans to move the capital from Juba into the Lakes State, the more central part of South Sudan, really is the epitome of a country that sees the future as all very positive and so we welcome that.

Although there are some eight million people who live in South Sudan—and barring comments about whether the past censuses have been accurate, or whatever—it does mean that the opportunities to share in this wealth that will be redistributed from the arrangements of the past, where the north basically sucked up all the wealth from the south, so you can see that there will be greater opportunities now in the future. It has also been said in other places that the infant mortality rate of 112 deaths for every 1,000 is far too high. The maternal mortality rate of over 2,000 deaths for every 100,000 live births is just far too high.

But within Cowan, and for those that hail from South Sudan and Sudan in general, those people have decided that their future lies here in Australia. It has always been the case that we welcome them. We welcome the positive contributions that they make. We welcome them in places like Koondoola Primary School where the intensive language school operates very strongly for them. We welcome the positive contributions the Flaming Evangelical Church makes in Koondoola as well. I see a great and positive future for the South Sudanese in Cowan and I see an excellent future for South Sudan, and the government should continue to back them strongly.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Murphy ) 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.