DEBATES – Wednesday 9 May 2018 3890 It Seems

DEBATES – Wednesday 9 May 2018 It seems to be an extraordinary coincidence that the oil and gas reserves are between the two countries. I think that tells us we need to work things out together, not compete for it. How can we mutually benefit from this great resource? Do not forget that if we work this out well between East Timor and northern Australia— those reserves extend further into Indonesia. Indonesia is in need of energy just as we are. The three of us could work it out. There are opportunities for the Northern Territory to position itself well to provide support across the line so we can all benefit from this and open up. If we do that and cooperate, we could all end up in a far better position. There is much to be gained if we work together on this. I am happy to report to members who have an interest in this. I will have further meetings with government tomorrow to see how we progress this. I would like to see more detail about how the Arafura Games could be used to add some greater definition to this particular project, because this project of building a stronger commercial case for better aviation services in the region will be supported if we have a strong focus on the trilateral. Canberra will note it if we are proactive in this. Jakarta will recognise it as well. We need Jakarta and we need Canberra, and the way to do that is to show that we are finding creative ways to work together whether it is through education, the Chamber of Commerce in Eastern Indonesia, or seeking advice of the Australia Indonesia Business Council. We need to plot our own path and show leadership. That will win the attention of those we need. I mentioned Canberra and Jakarta, but Dili does not have to consult with anybody. Dili is a sovereign country. The Northern Territory—as grand, big and important as we think it is—has to win the attention of Canberra. Kupang has 4.5 million people, is important, unique and has many assets, but it has to win the support of Jakarta. Dili, rightfully, has to be acknowledged as a sovereign country in this trilateral relationship so, in a sense, it is not three equal partners. It is important that we acknowledge East Timor as a sovereign country and respect it on that basis. In the past we have talked about parliamentary exchanges with East Timor and have insensitively overlooked that it is a national parliament. Its natural partners are Canberra and Jakarta, not the Northern Territory. If we recognise that we could go a long way in making sure we respectfully approach this and are in a better position to have meaningful and useful dialogue. I have had meetings with the governor and other senior representatives in East Nusa Tenggara. We are the same. We are provincial or state parliaments and have great opportunity for increased mutual understanding. Going one step further—I have listened to a couple of lectures at CDU. They often talk about how we can close the gap with how we engage Indigenous Australians. If we were to work more closely and develop better understanding of our near neighbours, it would also provide us with the capacity to better understand how to work cross-culturally in our jurisdiction. The Member for Nhulunbuy visited Makassar. The quality of rapport when a First Australian meets their counterpart in the region, the level of engagement and communication—when you have that dialogue flowing and understanding occurring. It was uncanny to hear and see that level of communication. There is a real asset here that would be empowered if we could get Indigenous training organisations involved in the training in the region. You will find that the dialogue between those players would be far superior to what we imagine. It would be mutually beneficial. If each of us thinks individually and markets our own product by ourselves—instead, we could create the notion that we are all in a similar zone. I am glad the Opposition Leader mentioned the Arafura school games, which came out of an MOU signed between the Northern Territory Government and Jakarta with Suharto. It was to create better relations, and the Northern Territory led that. One of those projects was an athletics competition in the region. That included the eastern provinces and the Northern Territory. Everyone would march into the stadium— South, North and Central Sulawesi, West Papua, Ambon, Maluku and then Australia utara, which means north Australia. They would make us carry the Australian flag to create the impression they were playing against Australia. We had to say, ‘No, we are the Northern Territory team’. It was a wonderful festival with thousands of people. It was about us being close to the region. We played basketball together—Opposition Leader, was your son involved? Perhaps two of your sons? Mr Higgins: Yes, the other one was running. 3890 .

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