COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Official Committee Hansard JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE Reference: Australia’s relations with the United Nations TUESDAY, 2 JULY 2002 CANBERRA BY AUTHORITY OF THE PARLIAMENT INTERNET The Proof and Official Hansard transcripts of Senate committee hearings, some House of Representatives committee hearings and some joint com- mittee hearings are available on the Internet. Some House of Representa- tives committees and some joint committees make available only Official Hansard transcripts. The Internet address is: http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard To search the parliamentary database, go to: http://search.aph.gov.au JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE Tuesday, 2 July 2002 Members: Senator Ferguson (Chair), Mr Brereton (Deputy Chair), Senators Bartlett, Bishop, Bolkus, Calvert, Cook, Eggleston, Evans, Harradine, Sandy Macdonald, O’Brien and Payne and Mr Baird, Mr Baldwin, Mr Beazley, Mr Bevis, Mr Edwards, Mr Laurie Ferguson, Mrs Gash, Mr Hawker, Mr Jull, Mr Lindsay, Dr Martin, Mrs Moylan, Mr Nairn, Mr Price, Mr Prosser, Mr Scott, Mr Snowdon, Mr Somlyay and Mr Cameron Thompson Senators and members in attendance: Senators Ferguson and Harradine and Mr Edwards, Mr Laurie Ferguson, Mr Jull, Mr Price and Mr Scott Terms of reference for the inquiry: Review of Australia’s relations with the United Nations WITNESSES ALLEN, Mr Phillippe Guy, Executive Officer, United Nations and Commonwealth Section, International Organisations Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ...................................... 1 CALDER, Ms Rosemary, First Assistant Secretary, Office of the Status of Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.................................................................................................................. 1 DUNBAR, Group Captain Garry Edward, Director, United Nations, Peace Operations and Arms Control, Department of Defence........................................................................................................... 1 GLENN, Mr Richard Alexander, Acting Principal Legal Officer, Security Law and Justice Branch, Attorney-General’s Department....................................................................................................... 1 HANNA, Wing Commander Christopher, Deputy Director, Operations Law, Department of Defence............................................................................................................................................................... 1 HEYWARD, Mr Peter Maxwell, Assistant Secretary, Environment Branch, International Organisations and Legal Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade........................................... 1 JENNINGS, Mr Mark Brandon, Senior Adviser, Office of International Law, Attorney- General’s Department...................................................................................................................................... 2 KING, Ms Philippa Jane, Acting Director, United Nations and Commonwealth Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ..................................................................................................... 1 LEON, Ms Renee, Assistant Secretary, Civil Justice Division, Attorney-General’s Department............. 2 MANNING, Mr Greg, Principal Legal Officer, International Human Rights Section, Public International Law Branch, Office of International Law, Attorney-General’s Department ...................... 2 MELLSOP, Ms Gillian Ruth, Acting Assistant Director General, Humanitarian, Multilateral and Community Branch, Australian Agency for International Development ............................................ 1 MUIR, Mr Ross Stewart, Director, East Timor Section, Australian Agency for International Development...................................................................................................................................................... 1 NAGY, Colonel William Stephen, Director of United Nations Engagement, Strategic Command, Department of Defence..................................................................................................................................... 1 QUINN, Ms Elizabeth Mary, Acting Senior Adviser, Specialist Policy Section, Office of the Status of Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet............................................................. 1 ROWLING, Ms Myra Ann, First Assistant Secretary, Strategic and International Policy, Department of Defence..................................................................................................................................... 1 SKILLEN, Mr Geoffrey James, Senior Legal Officer, International Crime Branch, Criminal Justice Division, Attorney-General’s Department......................................................................................... 2 SMITH, Mr Roderick Richard, Assistant Secretary, International Organisations Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ..................................................................................................... 1 TAPP, Mr Charles William Nicolas, Deputy Director General, Papua New Guinea and Global Programs, Australian Agency for International Development..................................................................... 1 TRINDADE, Mr Dominic, Legal Adviser, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade..............................1 VAN DER WAL, Mr Eric, Director, Human Rights and Indigenous Issues Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ...........................................................................................................................1 Tuesday, 2 July 2002 JOINT FADT 1 Committee met at 9.07 a.m. ALLEN, Mr Phillippe Guy, Executive Officer, United Nations and Commonwealth Section, International Organisations Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade HEYWARD, Mr Peter Maxwell, Assistant Secretary, Environment Branch, International Organisations and Legal Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade KING, Ms Philippa Jane, Acting Director, United Nations and Commonwealth Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade SMITH, Mr Roderick Richard, Assistant Secretary, International Organisations Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade TRINDADE, Mr Dominic, Legal Adviser, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade VAN DER WAL, Mr Eric, Director, Human Rights and Indigenous Issues Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade MELLSOP, Ms Gillian Ruth, Acting Assistant Director General, Humanitarian, Multilateral and Community Branch, Australian Agency for International Development MUIR, Mr Ross Stewart, Director, East Timor Section, Australian Agency for International Development TAPP, Mr Charles William Nicolas, Deputy Director General, Papua New Guinea and Global Programs, Australian Agency for International Development CALDER, Ms Rosemary, First Assistant Secretary, Office of the Status of Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet QUINN, Ms Elizabeth Mary, Acting Senior Adviser, Specialist Policy Section, Office of the Status of Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet DUNBAR, Group Captain Garry Edward, Director, United Nations, Peace Operations and Arms Control, Department of Defence HANNA, Wing Commander Christopher, Deputy Director, Operations Law, Department of Defence NAGY, Colonel William Stephen, Director of United Nations Engagement, Strategic Command, Department of Defence ROWLING, Ms Myra Ann, First Assistant Secretary, Strategic and International Policy, Department of Defence GLENN, Mr Richard Alexander, Acting Principal Legal Officer, Security Law and Justice Branch, Attorney-General’s Department FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE FADT 2 JOINT Tuesday, 2 July 2002 JENNINGS, Mr Mark Brandon, Senior Adviser, Office of International Law, Attorney- General’s Department LEON, Ms Renee, Assistant Secretary, Civil Justice Division, Attorney-General’s Department MANNING, Mr Greg, Principal Legal Officer, International Human Rights Section, Public International Law Branch, Office of International Law, Attorney-General’s Department SKILLEN, Mr Geoffrey James, Senior Legal Officer, International Crime Branch, Criminal Justice Division, Attorney-General’s Department CHAIR—Welcome. I would like to declare open today’s hearing. It represents the first in what we expect will be a series of annual hearings reviewing Australia’s relations with, and activities at, the United Nations. The hearings are intended to help broaden community understanding about the United Nations, subject Australia’s activity at the United Nations to regular scrutiny and debate, and ensure that UN reform initiatives remain at the forefront of government attention. This first hearing is an opportunity to seek an update on events since the committee’s June 2001 report on Australia’s role in the United Nations reform and also perhaps an indication of the government’s likely response to recommendations that were made in that report. In our June 2001 report we concluded that, while the ideals of the United Nations are as important today as when they were first written, the organisation itself was in dire need of structural and financial reform. Moreover, we were alarmed at the extent of community misunderstanding about the purpose and the work of the United Nations. It remains our view that Australia, like all member countries, has a vital role to play in ensuring that the United Nations is able to deliver on its ideals. The idea of annual public hearings