Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move general business notice of motion Nos 56 and 57:

GENERAL BUSINESS NOTICE OF MOTION NO. 56

That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, by no later than 3 pm on Wednesday, 2 November 2022:

(a) any briefing materials provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and/or the Minister's office since 23 May 2022, in relation to:

(i) Australia's preparations for co-hosting the 15th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine in Brunei Darussalam, scheduled for early November, or

(ii) the provision of an invitation to the Government of Myanmar to attend the meeting;

(b) any emails, file notes or other records of interactions between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and/or the Minister's office since 23 May 2022 in relation to:

(i) Australia's preparations for co-hosting the 15th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine in Brunei Darussalam, scheduled for early November, or

(ii) the provision of an invitation to the Government of Myanmar to attend the meeting; and

(c) the written invitation for Myanmar to attend the 15th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine in Brunei Darussalam, scheduled for early November.

GENERAL BUSINESS NOTICE OF MOTION NO. 57

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, by no later than 3 pm on Wednesday, 2 November 2022:

(a) any briefing materials provided by the Department of Defence to the Minister for Defence and/or the Minister's office since 23 May 2022 in relation to:

(i) Australia's preparations for co-hosting the 15th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine in Brunei Darussalam, scheduled for early November, and

(ii) the provision of an invitation to the Government of Myanmar to attend the meeting;

(b) any emails, file notes or other records of interactions between the Department of Defence and the Minister for Defence and/or the Minister's office since 23 May 2022 in relation to:

(i) Australia's preparations for co-hosting the 15th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine in Brunei Darussalam, scheduled for early November, and

(ii) the provision of an invitation to the Government of Myanmar to attend the meeting; and

(c) the written invitation for Myanmar to attend the 15th meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine in Brunei Darussalam, scheduled for early November.

Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

TEELE-JOHN () (): I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The object of this OPD is of critical importance to the Senate and to the public. We are seeking to obtain from the government information provided to the defence minister in relation to their co-hosting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine in Brunei in early November.

This is of utmost importance because present at that meeting will be representatives of the military junta currently in control of Myanmar. The public, the National Unity Government and the Myanmar diaspora deserve to know exactly what is being told to our defence minister as they prepare to cohabitate a space alongside such representatives of such a reprehensible regime.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government won't be supporting this order for the production of documents. Australia is greatly concerned about ongoing human rights abuses by the Myanmar military regime, including recent reports of civilians killed by military airstrikes in the Kachin state. We will continue to speak clearly and consistently in support of human rights around the world and we will act. Australia has reduced contact with the Myanmar military regime to only essential engagement. While engagement is unavoidable, we take every opportunity to convey Australia's grave concerns about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar and strongly condemn the actions of the military regime. Neither the Minister for Foreign Affairs nor the Minister for Defence will attend the workshop in Brunei for the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine. While Australia is a co-host, this is an ASEAN led meeting with the final decision on participation with ASEAN.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that general business notices of motion Nos 56 and 57 be agreed to.

Question agreed to.