STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE
Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): I'm grateful for the opportunity to echo the Prime Minister's sentiments and fine words. Indonesia is one of Australia's closest friends, and we are proud to be one of its oldest friends. Our thoughts are with the Indonesians at this difficult time.
Today we wish the good, decent and democratic people of Indonesia a very happy Independence Day. It's been 81 years, as the Prime Minister said, since independence was declared, and Australia supported Indonesia's independence from the outset. Indeed, in the 1940s Australia played a very significant role in working with the Indonesians and the Dutch to achieve independence for Indonesia.
As the DFAT produced history covering the issue said: The involvement of the Security Council in Indonesian independence, involvement that was instigated and strongly supported by Australia, led to one of its earliest and most emphatic successes. Instead of prolonged military conflict, as occurred in France's colonies … the parties to this conflict had been involved in a process of peaceful decolonisation, led by the Security Council, and resulting in the birth of an independent Indonesian state.
Former prime minister John Howard said that 'by reason of destiny and geography, the Australian and Indonesian people will be forever linked'. That's one reason why the Howard government enhanced Australia's security operation with Indonesia in 2006 under the Lombok treaty, as the Prime Minister pointed out. That treaty signals our respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
It was signed in the wake of two tragedies. The Bali bombings of 2002 that we remember so well was a tragedy where 88 Australians were murdered by Islamic extremists. As we mark the 24th anniversary of that attack this year, we will also remember and commend the Indonesian people—the bystanders who helped injured Australians in the wake of the bombings, the doctors and nurses who treated the wounded, the police and investigators who worked with Australian authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The second tragedy, of course, was the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Indonesia's Aceh province was one of the very hardest hit, and more than 167,000 Indonesians lost their lives. In the wake of that disaster, we stood with our Indonesian friends and we sent military personnel, medical staff, supplies and teams to assist with reconstruction.
As natural disaster hits Indonesia again, the coalition stands with the government in any assistance it seeks to provide our Indonesian friends. Whether it's responding to tragedy, working together to stop people smugglers or calling out acts of coercion and aggression in our region, there is much Australia and Indonesia have done and will continue to do as neighbours, as partners, as friends.