Senate debates

Wednesday, 8 February 2006

Questions without Notice: Additional Answers

West Papua

3:00 pm

Photo of Helen CoonanHelen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | | Hansard source

I wanted to add to an answer I gave yesterday to a question from Senator Nettle relating to West Papua. The answer is that the Australian government takes seriously reports of alleged human rights violations in Papua. We continue to urge the Indonesian government to investigate suspected human rights abuses and ensure that the human rights of all Indonesians are respected. The Australian government is aware of a range of reports, including from the University of Sydney’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, on the human rights situation in the Indonesian province of Papua. We have brought the allegations contained in the University of Sydney’s report to the attention of the Indonesian government.