Senator BOURNE (7:40 PM) —Tonight I would like to talk about the new Martin Scorsese film, Kundun . This is a film about the life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese invasion of his birth country, Tibet. It was written and co-produced by Melissa Mathison, who I understand wrote ET . So on a lot of levels, this is an important film.

The film opened in the United States and Canada on 16 January this year. In Australia, the original distributors, Village Roadshow, did not want to screen the movie and there were fears that we would miss out on viewing this most important film on the life of the Dalai Lama. Happily though, independent distributor, New Vision, has taken up that challenge. The national release of the film is next week—the week beginning 1 June.

The release of Kundun in the United States has been surrounded by controversy. China is reportedly not pleased with the Disney Corporation's support of Kundun and has made it clear that such support could damage the company's attempt to expand into the Chinese market—and that could include film and video releases, merchandise and probably a Disney theme park in Shanghai. So heated has the pressure been that Disney has hired former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, to advise it on the handling of the issue with the Chinese authorities and to ensure that the release of the film in northern America was low key.

The Chinese government say they believe Kundun is `intended to glorify the Dalai Lama' and is `interference in China's internal affairs'. This is the standard response of the Chinese authorities when dealing with issues relating to Tibet and the Dalai Lama. Their attempt to displace international criticism by claiming international interference only adds to the criticism. If China had remained silent on the release of this film, I am sure very little negative attention would have been directed towards them. After all, we all have a right to access these stories, especially one which details the events of the life of a spiritual leader as important as the Dalai Lama.

Disney has released Kundun in only 439 cinemas in the United States compared with 2,500 for Seven Years in Tibet and 2,767 for Titanic. We are told that this release to 439 cinemas is typical for an art-house release film. But Seven Years in Tibet could itself hardly be considered mainstream. It had an art-house release here in Australia, but it was released through nearly five times the number of cinemas. Then, of course, there is the alternative theory. That suggests that Village Roadshow's decision not to distribute the film here, and Disney's limited release in the United States, have more to do with commercial interests in China than with the telling of an important biographical story. Interestingly, Kundun was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best art direction, cinematography, costume design and original drama score.

So what is the film about? Why would it be considered to be so contentious by the Chinese? Kundun is a Tibetan term for the Dalai Lama, and, literally translated, means `presence'. The film chronicles the life of the Dalai Lama from his childhood through the Chinese occupation and his journey into exile in India. Through the charting of such an extraordinary life—and it really is quite an extraordinary life—we see a young, playful child grow into a figure who raises the world's consciousness about the Buddhist spirit and society, the plight of Tibet and the sufferings of the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama has stood tall on the world stage, refusing to sacrifice the Buddhist principle of non-violence throughout his country's long resistance to Chinese rule. Those who appear in the film are not actors. They are Tibetan people who know the suffering of their own people inside Tibet and the human rights abuses they have endured. In this very credible film, we are exposed to the religious and cultural persecution of some of the world's most peaceful people.

To help understand the importance of this story, I will just give a brief outline of the history of Tibet since the Chinese invasion of 1949-50. Mao Zedong's communist government invaded Tibet in 1950. A treaty was imposed on the Tibetan government in May of that year, although it is considered invalid because it was signed under duress. In 1959, a national uprising saw the Dalai Lama take flight into India where he and the Tibetan government-in-exile now reside. The international community reacted with shock at the events in Tibet at the time. The question of Tibet has been discussed on numerous occasions by the UN General Assembly, which has passed three resolutions condemning China's violation of human rights in Tibet, and has called on China to respect those rights, including Tibet's right to self-determination.

The destruction of Tibet's culture and the oppression of its people has been brutal. Approximately 1.2 million Tibetans, one-fifth of the country's population, have died as a result of China's policies. Many more languish in prisons and labour camps, and more than 6,000 monasteries, temples and other cultural and historic buildings have been destroyed. Chinese authorities continue to refuse to meet with the Dalai Lama.

The dialogue called for by the international community, including Australian governments—successive ones I am proud to say—is designed to resolve the question of the status and the rights of Tibet and its people. Constructive dialogue should not be seen to be threatening in any way. Indeed, China would receive greater respect from the international community if they entered into such a dialogue. In recent years the situation in Tibet has deteriorated. One of the principal factors is the large influx of Chinese into Tibet, particularly into its major towns, where they now outnumber the local Tibetan population by up to three to one. Such intense transmigration has a significantly negative impact on the cultural and the religious life of Tibetans and adds to the political and military control of the Chinese authorities inside Tibet itself.

In many ways the screening of films like Kundun is one of the few motivations for the community to discuss issues relating to Tibet but, more generally, to discuss issues relating to the persecution of one group of people by another. Looking through the eyes of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people, perhaps we can all gain a sense of our own spirituality, of our own sense of justice and the importance of recognising the universality of human rights. The common interests between Australia and China are such that the release of this film will not do any long-term damage, or probably short-term damage, to our two countries' relations.

After all, Australia is a democracy, and we have the right to see movies which present points of view which might be contrary to the government's point of view. Can we imagine what this country would be like if we did not have a strong rule of law? Can we imagine what the country would be like if political censorship meant that we were not able to see films produced by such a noted filmmaker as Mr Martin Scorsese, no matter what their particular subject matter? As a democratic and independent nation, we should not permit such outrageous censorship to occur. I am so pleased that in this case it has not occurred.

The Australian Democrats congratulate New Vision for the courage of their decision to screen this movie in Australia. I am hoping that Kundun will be screened here in Parliament House so that all of those who work in this place will have the opportunity to see it. I have contacted the presiding officers, Madam President, on this matter, and I understand that you are considering it. I sincerely hope that the screening does go ahead. If it does, I would encourage all senators to attend. I most certainly look forward to seeing this film.