Introduction…
At midnight this Sunday East Timor will achieve formal independence.
For many, independence represents the end of a long road since
the autonomy ballot in August 1999. For the people of East Timor,
the road has been much longer, stretching back to 1975 and even
before. For all of us who have joined, at some point, East Timor's
road to independence, it will be a great day of celebration for
the newest nation of the 21st century.
For all of us it will be the beginning of a new journey.
Australians, from all walks of life, admire the people of East
Timor deeply. The strength of that admiration will be clear on
Sunday, when our Prime Minister leads so many Australians in Dili
to the formal independence ceremony – from federal, state and local
governments, from academia, from church, service, civil rights and
aid organisations, and from business.
East Timor's celebration is truly a celebration shared by Australians,
and I am pleased that many people here in Australia are organising
their own celebrations for Sunday evening. For us it is the climax
of our involvement in helping East Timor along the path to independence.
We are witnessing the birth of a nation.
Australia and the international effort in East Timor…
Australia has worked hard, together with the United Nations and
other international friends of East Timor, in helping the East Timorese
reach 20 May. We should be encouraged by the many and significant
achievements over the transition period, to which we have contributed.
It is worth recalling that the opportunity for change in East Timor
came in 1998 at the end of the Soeharto era. A more open-minded
president in Jakarta and our own survey of the East Timorese Diaspora
in Australia and elsewhere and within East Timor itself, provided
a better appreciation of how East Timorese leaders saw their future,
and helped form the basis of our policy change. This was marked
by the Prime Minister's letter to President Habibie in December
1998 which outlined a possible new approach to the East Timor.
The Howard – Habibie Summit in April 1999 in Bali helped pave the
way for creating the conditions for a successful popular consultation. Australia's significant diplomatic and political effort helped firm
up international support for an act of self-determination and later,
when security broke down, to restore that security.
Australia was involved from the outset. We participated in the
first UN monitoring mission, UNAMET, which culminated in a public
verdict in favour of independence. We led the INTERFET mission
which restored security in East Timor in the dark days of 1999. And we have contributed a great deal to the UN Transitional Administration
in East Timor known as UNTAET.
Our effort has been enormous, and sustained. In short, we have
played no small part in providing East Timor with building blocks
for its future.
Australians have watched East Timor's transition keenly: from the
devastation of the post-ballot violence and destruction of late-1999,
to a new country with a functioning executive and legislature, a
developing judiciary, and the foundations for a strong public sector
and civil society.
Australians responded overwhelmingly to the 1999 crisis with many
communities around the country quickly mobilising to help. Our
national effort has involved thousands of Australians living and
working in East Timor, and many more contributing in kind, from
their homes, churches, schools and places of work.
The concern of ordinary Australians for the plight of East Timorese
has been reflected in the commitment of the Government to assisting
East Timor.
We recognised very early on the significant international support
that would be required to assist East Timor to independence, and
to help repair the truly devastating post-ballot violence and destruction. Our initial humanitarian effort, in 1999 and 2000, totalled around
A$81 million. And then we moved quickly to pledge A$150 million
over four years in bilateral aid, to ensure certainty for East Timor
in the transition period and early independence years.
Our humanitarian and aid assistance, of course, has come on top
of our significant defence support for East Timor: between July
1999 and June 2001 Australia's contribution to the peace keeping
effort was valued at some A$1.4 billion. Over 15,000 Australian
defence personnel have served as members of the international peacekeeping
force.
Australia's response to the situation in East Timor has not been
in isolation. The international response – to which we contributed
and helped build - was a remarkable example of international resolve
to address a humanitarian and security crisis.
That resolve has continued through the joint donor trust funds,
supporting the East Timorese administration and projects to rehabilitate
and develop a fledgling state. Biannual donor conferences have
enabled multilateral and bilateral donors to consult regularly with
the East Timorese leadership. We were pleased to host the fourth
Donors Conference here in Canberra.
We have to be realistic about the level of assistance the international
community is able to sustain for East Timor. But the Government
remains concerned that the progress we have made is not compromised
by lack of resources or commitment. It is critical that the donor
community continues to engage East Timor through the crucial first
years of independence.
East Timor's future …
For our part, Australia will continue to work closely with East
Timor, the United Nations and other donors to ensure the people
of East Timor can build for themselves a peaceful and prosperous
future.
…a democratic base …
Building a stable and sustainable democracy is critical to its
future. It is a task that we've supported strongly. Since January
2001 the Australian Electoral Commission has been helping develop
skills and resources for managing electoral processes. We saw these
displayed in the recent Presidential election. The Australian observer
delegation witnessed a peaceful and well managed election. The
continued high voter turn-out - more than 86 per cent - was a greatly
encouraging sign for East Timor's democratic future.
… self-administration …
Australia's assistance to East Timor's transition has focussed
on building local capacities. We have trained over a thousand East
Timorese civil servants – including from central and district administrations. We have helped develop effective budget management and tax systems,
and other basic functions of government. And we have provided scholarships
targeted at developing and improving skills.
Our efforts have helped East Timor's government to grow and develop
over the transition period – and the reins are now very much in
East Timor's hands. The vast majority of civil servants now are
East Timorese. It is a process that now has its own momentum, preparing
the East Timorese for government at independence, and, clearly,
beyond.
… civil society and development…
A strong and effective democracy cannot develop without a strong
civil society. Australian aid is helping strengthen civil society
by partnering Australian and East Timorese organisations working
on reconciliation and peace building, good governance, human rights
and support for the more vulnerable people in society.
Likewise, a strong democracy cannot be built in East Timor without
attending to the needs of all East Timorese. The vast majority
of the population live in rural areas. So Australia has worked
to ensure that our assistance reaches beyond Dili. We have begun
projects in water supply, sanitation, community development and
health in a number of districts. And we support micro-finance programs,
offering small loans to poor people in rural communities to start
small businesses and generate much needed income.
… the economy …
We applaud the first - and responsible - budget for an independent
East Timor, and we hope that such realism continues. Budget projections
for East Timor suggest that it will be critically important to broaden
and deepen the economic base, and to develop an environment for
the private sector that promotes growth and investment.
Setting in place a legal and regulatory framework for developing
the private sector – including resolving land tenure issues - will
be crucial to ensuring economic growth, private investment and new
jobs. Over the past two years, our support has helped build the
capacity of the East Timorese administration to manage all aspects
of government and private property. The skills and knowledge we
are helping to build should help the East Timorese develop and implement
legislation to manage their land ownership issues in the future.
Australia and East Timor have reaffirmed their commitment to the
joint development of Timor Sea petroleum resources, recognising
in particular the crucial importance of these resources in promoting
East Timor's economic development. To this end, Australia and East
Timor have been working on converting the Timor Sea Arrangement
into a new treaty. The Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Minister
for Industry, Tourism and Resources and I met Chief Minister Alkatiri
on 10 May, which was last Friday, and had very productive discussions. Having agreed on the “architecture”, I hope the two governments
will be able to sign the new Timor Sea Treaty in Dili on East Timor's
independence on 20 May. Australia and East Timor are committed
to expeditious development of the key Bayu-Undan and Greater Sunrise
petroleum fields.
…human rights, reconciliation and the rule of law …
A crucial part of any functioning democracy is the safeguarding
of human rights. The Australian government has been concerned to
see the perpetrators of human rights abuse in East Timor brought
to justice. We have welcomed Indonesia's ad hoc human rights tribunal
on East Timor. And we are looking to see the trials proceed with
independence and integrity.
Likewise, Australia has welcomed the establishment of the Commission
for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor. One of the
key objectives of the Commission is to provide a legal mechanism
for reconciliation and re-integration at the community level. The
work of the Commission is still at a very early stage but progress
is encouraging - and we are pleased to have supported its work,
and the work of the serious crimes unit in East Timor.
The role of East Timorese leaders in national reconciliation is
vital. The President-elect, Xanana Gusmao, has been particularly
active meeting former militia leaders, and encouraging refugees
to return to East Timor.
Settling the refugee situation in west Timor will be crucial to
East Timor's future stability as a nation. Australia has been helping
refugees to return either voluntarily to East Timor, or to resettle
elsewhere in Indonesia, in a program worth $13 million since 1999.
We are particularly pleased to hear of the high levels of refugee
repatriation following the Presidential election.
… relations with neighbours …
The East Timorese will not live in isolation after independence. The international community and the regional community are keen
to embrace East Timor. A key to East Timor's future will be the
relationships that it forges abroad. Most important, of course,
will be East Timor's relations with its neighbours.
I am gratified at recent positive steps in relations between East
Timor and Indonesia. The meeting I attended with my East Timorese
and Indonesian counterparts in February this year was an important
step to normalising East Timor's relationships in the region and
will be the start of further cooperation between our three countries.
I make particular note of the constructive approach to the relationship
demonstrated by President Megawati and her Government and look forward
to further initiatives where our three countries can work together
in a regional partnership, such as at the inaugural South-West Pacific
Dialogue to be held later this year.
As a close friend and neighbour, Australia hopes to continue and
build on the strong ties that have characterised our relationship. We will do that and other things too to help East Timor integrate
into the international community.
… UN support …
The United Nations mandate for a newly independent East Timor –
UNMISET (UN Mission of Support in East Timor) - does not shy away
from the challenges in East Timor. Instead, it provides for support
over two years in three main areas: essential public administration,
law and order, and external security.
Australia will continue to play a lead role, including in the peace-keeping
force and UN police presence, which will be drawn down over the
next two years. We are committed to helping develop a modest East
Timor Defence Force and Police Service. Our goal remains the gradual
withdrawal of the UN mission - as East Timor develops its own capacities.
Conclusion …
It is appropriate for the Government formally to register its gratitude
to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, for his decisive leadership
on East Timor over the last few years. Mr Sergio Vieria de Mello,
the UN Secretary General's Special Representative and Transitional
Administrator in East Timor, deserves our thanks as someone who
has been instrumental in achieving so much in time for independence.
While there have been many heroes among the Australian armed forces
who have served in East Timor, I want to mention particularly Lieutenant
General Peter Cosgrove who led the INTERFET and was an asset not
only to Australia but also the international community.
The Government commends Mr James Batley, our head of mission in
Dili since June 1999, and a number of superb officers from across
government, for their unfailing dedication in East Timor's transition
to democracy, and Australia's part in it. I say thank you on behalf
of all Australians for your work.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank members of parliament
on both sides of the House who have shown a particular interest
in this issue. There have been times when we have had boisterous
disagreements. On this occasion, I particularly acknowledge the
member for Kingsford-Smith who, as the opposition spokesman on foreign
affairs – the longest serving opposition spokesman on foreign affairs
in history, I believe – served in that job with particular focus
on East Timor and with a great enthusiasm for the issue of East
Timor. He was a participant in our observer mission during the
ballot in 1999 and has participated on other occasions as well in
observer missions to East Timor. Whether I disagree or whether
I agree with everything he said – and it is a combination of both
– I think one should respect his sincerity and his commitment to
that issue.
Let me also say that the biggest congratulations go to the people
of East Timor and their leaders. Australia wishes them well as
they face the challenges and joys of nationhood. We stand ready
to help.
Last year Australia celebrated one hundred years of federation,
and of peaceful democracy, as the first newly independent nation
of the 20th century. At midnight on Sunday, East Timor
will become the first newly independent nation of the 21st
century. Together, as friends and neighbours, our descendants can
look forward to celebrating 100 years of peace and democracy in
East Timor at the beginning of the 22nd century.
It is immensely gratifying for the Government to have helped secure
the ballot on independence, to have worked through the difficult
transition to independence, and to be able to celebrate with East
Timor on 20 May. It is to the great credit of the Prime Minister
and his leadership that Australia can reflect proudly on its contribution
to East Timor's achievement of nationhood.
It is gratifying personally for me, as Minister for Foreign Affairs,
to have been a part of this process. I know, too, that the coming
of independence is also a matter of pride for the many Australians
who have also given their support, in many and varied ways, to the
East Timorese people.
Most importantly, I can only begin to imagine how the prospect
of Sunday's transition feels for the people of East Timor, who have
endured so much. They have achieved independence at last.
As a Government, and as a people, our heartfelt support goes to
East Timor on the occasion of its independence. It is, truly, the
birth of a nation.
