Senator Brown asked the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, upon notice, on 23 March 2004:

(1) Was Cui Ying Zhang at all times accorded her rights to consular access and assistance and other rights; if not, how were these rights denied and why.

(2) (a) What action was taken by the Australian Government to remedy any shortcoming in China's actions; and (b) is any further action to be taken; if so, what.

Senator Hill (Minister for Defence) —The following answer has been provided by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to the honourable senator's question:

(1) China was slow in providing notification of Ms Zhang's arrest and in allowing consular access.

(2) Representations were made by the Australian Consul-General in Guangzhou and Ambassador in Beijing. Australian consular officials in China made repeated representations throughout Ms Zhang's detention in an attempt to ensure Ms Zhang was afforded her rights under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. I (Mr Downer) also raised my concerns about Ms Zhang's detention with the Chinese Ambassador in Canberra. In 2000 the Government concluded with China a bilateral Consular Agreement which specifies timeframes for notification of arrests and provision of consular access and provides for annual consultations on consular matters. This establishes an important framework for pursuing our consular interests, including in respect of problems in the treatment of individual cases.