opinion: Let's be consistent in our own backyard

Sydney
3 February 2002

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opinion: Let's be consistent in our own backyard

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opinion: Let's be consistent in our own backyard

The terrorism of September 11 can serve as a wake-up call that we are all part of a global community and cannot ignore irresponsible regimes or governments that promote injustice.

Australia should be commended in its prompt support of the International Coalition for its commitment to fight terrorism and the rebuilding and rehabilitation of Afghanistan back into the fold of responsible fair government. However, I am mystified by our inconsistent approach in our foreign policy to our own backyard in the South Pacific Basin.

As one of the regional powers there, little island states look to Australia for responsible leadership and initiative to promote stability in this region. Historically, superpower Pacific policy has been haphazard and angled toward the benefit of these powers only.

For instance, Nauru now is basically a hole in the ground after being exploited by larger more powerful neighbours for its natural resources and its government has mostly squandered the money this resource generated.

Now Australia has decided to use Nauru as a solution for our refugee problem. If we are not careful we will bring just the instability we are fighting against in Afghanistan into our own region and create further dependence by these small struggling island states and thus create small Afghanistans right here in our own backyards.

Policy towards the international problem of refugees should be a global one and focus on the long-term promotion of more democratic values to unstable or corrupt governments.

Involving regional countries such as Indonesia, in particular, as a point for the processing of refugees is vital and should be an integral part of Australia's compassionate approach to meet our global commitment with dignity and respect, rather than the use of fear and emotion which was a feature of recent foreign policy. We should not only want to get involved with foreign policy because the US or Britain ask us to.

Are we not of an age that we can have our own focus for such policy? Under previous Prime Ministers we worked hard in our own region. Let's not throw all this good work away. Timor is a good example.

We would be better to use our limited resources to right inequities than promote them. Our drive should be underpinned by the passion that "I cannot be free unless you, too, are free".

Virginia Judge
Strathfield, NSW