Senator JACINTA COLLINS (Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) (5:13 PM) —Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT —Leave is granted for two minutes.

Senator JACINTA COLLINS —The government has already made statements in regard to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize, and we do not believe that this individual’s incarceration is appropriate or justified. Australia believes that his sentence should be brought to a termination and he should be released. I also note that Australia has not been invited to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

As has been said in this place before, Australia recognises that China has made some progress in human rights over the last 30 years. However, the government remains concerned about human rights in China. We do not believe that either the Australian government’s careful management of the complex and important relationship with China or progress on human rights, including Dr Liu’s case, will be materially assisted by this Senate motion.