Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian government cannot support the motion in its current form. The Australian government again places on record its objection to dealing with complex international matters such as the one before us by means of formal motions. As I have indicated in the chamber a number of times now, such motions are blunt instruments. They force parties into black-and-white choices of either support or opposition. They do not lend themselves to the nuances which are so necessary in this area of policy. Furthermore, they are too easily misinterpreted by some audiences as statements of policy by the national government. We will not support formal motions in the Senate unless we are completely satisfied with their content.

Australia’s position on the Dalai Lama is clear. He is a respected religious leader who has visited Australia privately on several occasions over the years, most recently in December 2009. During those visits he has had contact with members of the government of the day, and during his most recent visit he met Mr Garrett, the Minister for the Environment Heritage and the Arts. The decisions that other countries take about the Dalai Lama’s visits are a matter for them. The Australian government does not engage in a running commentary on such decisions by means of formal motions.