Australian Senate fails to pass motion on Brunei. As an indication of the importance afforded to Bruneis violation of internationally accepted human rights norms within the Syariah Penal Code, the Australian Senate on Monday used the first day of the new Senate term to consider Senator Peter Whish-Wilsons motion calling on the Australian Government to insist that Brunei addresses the human rights violations contained within the Syariah Penal Code as a condition of it participating any further in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations. However, it was the decision of a majority of the Senate that the motion should not be put to a vote at that point in time. While the prevailing consensus among the opposing Senators was that such a serious matter requires serious debate, rather than simply voting yes or no on a motion, the result is nevertheless extremely disappointing. The Syariah Penal Code is clearly in violation of recognised human rights norms by legislating the use of torture and the Australian Government has itself expressed concern over the implementation of the penal code, so what exactly needs to be debated? There is no question that Australia should not be involved in any trade deals with a country that endorses the use of torture and violates human rights in the way Bruneis government seeks to through the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code. It is important to stress that what was voted to in the Senate on Monday was whether or not a motion was the appropriate avenue for putting forward the issue and it was not a vote on the contents of the motion itself. Despite the Senates decision not to vote on Senator Whish-Wilsons motion, the issue is not dead in the Australian Parliament. With widespread concern within the parliament over Bruneis new laws and their violation of human rights, it will be an issue that we will see raised again in the near future and there is every likelihood that Senator Whish-Wilson and the Australian Greens will continue pushing for action to be taken.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 03:15:12 +0000
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