Mr RONALDSON (7:20 PM) —At the outset, let me say that I wholeheartedly support the motion that is before the House. I want to talk about the way that the debate has gone today. Prior to doing that, I want to talk about the views of my constituents in relation to this issue. Shortly after the atrocities in East Timor became evident, a group of people formed and called themselves the Ballarat Region of the Friends of East Timor. I will read to the House the names of those people because it is an indication of the broad support in my electorate for the East Timorese, our deep community concern about what has happened to them and our desire for them to achieve what we all passionately believe needs to be achieved.

The group is made up of David MacPhail from Community Aid Abroad; Victor Kaye from the Australian East Timorese Association and observer for UNAMET at the election in Timor; me as a federal member and member of Parliamentarians for East Timor; Margaret Sheehan from the Australian East Timorese Association; Mr John Shannon, the principal of Damascus College; Sister Bever ley Malcolm from the Sisters of Mercy; Bishop Peter Connors, the Catholic bishop of Ballarat; Ms Jenny Brennan from Community Aid Abroad; John Barnes, the mayor of Ballarat; Mr Sancho da Silva and Miss Ellia Maria, young Timorese people; Graeme Shearer and Brian Martin from the Trades Council; Pauline Noonan from Amnesty International; Reverend Bruce Waldron from the Uniting Church; Father Gerry Baldock from Caritas; Rod Lacey from the Catholic Commission of Justice, Peace and Development; and Bishop David Silk, the Anglican bishop of Ballarat. A working party has been established involving me, David MacPhail, Sister Beverley, Brian Martin, Pauline Noonan, Father Gerry Baldock, Reverend Bruce Waldron and Ms Andrea Shaw.

One pivotal matter was that the Ballarat community got behind the views of this working group to express their outrage and horror at events in East Timor. There were some 6,000 signatures on petitions that I circulated in conjunction with the group, and ordinary Australians were able to describe their view of what needed to be done. In my view, this is Australia supporting East Timor; it is Australia supporting a group of people to whom we owe an enormous debt.

The East Timorese are on our doorstep. They are a group of people who have been treated most poorly by previous governments of all persuasions. There is no argument that previous governments have let down the people of East Timor. They deserved our support and a lot more action than was ever shown. The outcome of the ballot will ultimately lead to independence, which is what the people of East Timor have always sought. Since 1975 they have not viewed themselves as anything other than independent or having the right to independence. If you look at the events of the last two weeks and put them into a historical context, some of the comments made in this House today—with the greatest respect to some opposite; this should be bipartisan—have been pointless.

Mr Latham —A bipartisan cock-up! Is that what you want?

Mr RONALDSON —I will take that interjection because I think it is a reflection on you. You might like to have a think about the statement. The simple fact is that anyone who believed that the Australian government would do anything without the Indonesian government supporting those moves has no understanding of the fundamentals of the relationship between Indonesia and Australia and no fundamental understanding of the potential outcome of that.

On this very day we are sending young Australians into an area where they are at great risk. Are you seriously trying to tell me that you would be prepared to dramatically increase that risk by taking a course of action that would ultimately lead to conflict? Why would we increase the risk to young Australians by taking a course of action that would dramatically increase the chances of their paying the ultimate sacrifice for service to this country? I cannot believe that it was even contemplated as a course of action. Are you saying to me that we should have gone to East Timor without the Indonesian government supporting that move? Are you seriously telling me that, when you know as well as I do that the Indonesian government made it quite clear that they would view that as an act of aggression and would make an appropriate response? That is not in the best interests of this country and it most certainly is not in the best interests of young men and women who serve this country. I cannot see that that was ever a realistic option.

There is no point in trying to hide behind previous inactivity and using this as an opportunity to attack events of the last two to three months. I cannot see how that serves the people of East Timor, I do not see how that serves the Australian community, and I cannot for the life of me see what purpose it serves this parliament. We have an opportunity today to send a very clear message on behalf of the Australian people, whom we ultimately represent, about the events in East Timor. We have a unique opportunity to provide the East Timorese with something they have been pleading with this country to deliver for 25 years.

I acknowledge the work of the member for Northern Territory in my early days in this parliament and his involvement in the Parlia mentarians for East Timor. It was quite clear to us what needed to be done. There had been inactivity from the government of the day and the previous coalition government. The fact is that we could have done no more then to prepare ourselves in a military sense in readiness than we did some three to four months ago.

We were only able to get in there as quickly as we did after the UN Security Council resolution because we were prepared. We were able to put troops on the ground at short notice because we were prepared. This situation should never have been allowed to happen, but we cannot take the mistakes of the last 25 years and superimpose them over what has occurred in the last two to three weeks. The reality is that we have people on the ground in East Timor now. We have a commitment from the world community to do what it had not been prepared to do for 25 years—that is, to ensure that a process takes place and flows through to its ultimate outcome. We will deliver to the people of East Timor the independence that they deserve and that they should have had some considerable time ago.

There are many people in Australia who have families in East Timor at the moment. There are many people in my electorate—mums and dads—who have family members in East Timor. I hope and pray along with them and with other members of this House that they come back without paying that ultimate sacrifice. They are there serving their country, and they deserve the support of this House.