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Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Page: 2472

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (15:44): I, and also on behalf of Senators Humphries and Bob Carr, move:

That the Senate—

   (a)   notes that:

      (i)   on 13 February 2012 the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Rudd, issued a media release in response to the Sri Lankan Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) final report, stating 'The LLRC report contains constructive proposals for advancing reconciliation and reconstruction, including through reducing the presence of security forces in the North, care of internally displaced persons and media freedoms',

      (ii)   the Australian Government has consistently urged Sri Lanka to investigate all allegations of crimes committed by both sides of the conflict, including those raised in the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka report, and

      (iii)   in light of the report's failure to comprehensively address such allegations, the Government continues to call on Sri Lanka for all such allegations to be investigated in a transparent and independent manner; and

   (b)   calls on the Australian Government to, as a minimum, support efforts to secure a United States initiated resolution on Sri Lanka at the 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council through the Australian permanent representative in Geneva.

Question agreed to.