Senator LUDWIG (Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (4:20 PM) —Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT —Leave is granted for two minutes.

Senator LUDWIG —The Australian government does not support this motion. As has been stated on previous occasions, the government objects to using formal motions to deal with complex international matters, particularly those involving other governments. However, for the record, I would like to make some points on the government’s position on Tibet. Australia recognises Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. However, we have continuing concerns over the human rights situation in Tibet, including constraints on freedom of expression and cultural and religious rights and the use of capital punishment. The Australian government closely monitors the human rights situation in Tibet and raises its concerns directly with China at various levels, including exchanges between political leaders and senior officials, the annual bilateral human rights dialogue and diplomatic channels. We also raise individual cases of concern with the Chinese authorities.

The government supports direct negotiation between representatives of his Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government. We were disappointed that the ninth round of negotiations, which took place in Beijing in February, did not make progress. However, we note that both sides are willing to hold further talks. The government will of course continue to monitor the progress of those talks closely. However, we do not intend to provide a running commentary on a particular position taken by one side or the other in the negotiating process. Since the two parties are dealing directly with each other, we do not see any value in multilateral initiatives that seek to apply external pressure on the process. I thank the Senate.