Wednesday, 6 April 2022

Motions

Russia-Ukraine war

Mr ATKINSON (Eastern Metropolitan) (11:18): I do not intend to talk very long on this at all, because I really want this to go to a vote. I think the expression of the house by way of a vote is actually more significant today than the debate itself, because I think we are all on the same page in terms of the importance of this motion in expressing an opinion on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I formally move the motion standing in my name:

That this house:

(1) deplores the unprovoked Russian invasion of the sovereign territory of Ukraine;

(2) expresses:

(a) solidarity with the people of Ukraine and praises their courage in defence of their sovereign nation and democratic values;

(b) its shared distress with and support for the Ukrainian community in Victoria as Ukraine fights to remain an independent democratic nation;

(c) its gratitude to the countries providing humanitarian aid and support for refugees and the Ukrainians defending their nation;

(d) solidarity and support for the Russian citizens risking their safety and freedom in peace protests in Russia;

(3) condemns:

(a) the atrocities and war crimes especially those committed on civilians and children by Russian armed forces at the direction of President Putin;

(b) the unconscionable threats made by President Putin involving an escalation in the war against Ukraine and other nations; and

(4) calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the unconditional withdrawal of Russian armed forces.

This is a motion that deplores the invasion. It is a motion that expresses solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people. It acknowledges the work that is being done in humanitarian aid and support by many other countries, particularly bordering Ukraine and working to assist refugees and obviously to provide aid to those people who remain in Ukraine.

It acknowledges the fact that many Russians, those that actually have had the opportunity to know about the motives and the actions of President Putin, have actually stood against this particular invasion and in many cases cannot understand why they are fighting their brothers in Ukraine—people with whom they have shared significant history. It acknowledges that some of those people have put themselves at risk of penalty from Putin’s Russian government because they have stood in support of Ukraine and attended peace rallies. It acknowledges our support for the local Ukrainian community and recognises how they also are suffering at this time, particularly as they have friends and relatives who are caught up in the war, many of them innocent civilians, women, children—people who would never have expected in this century to be facing this sort of upheaval, this sort of tragedy that is the Ukraine war.

It also recognises, very importantly I think, the need for all of us to express an opinion on this particular conflict. Throughout my period in Parliament I have never put motions up regarding international affairs because I believe that for the most part they are legitimately under the jurisdiction of the federal government. On this occasion I was so moved by what we see playing out in Ukraine, by the atrocities and the war crimes that are being committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, that I thought this time I would move away from what has been my view of international affairs in this place, and thought it was important for me and I would hope this house to express an opinion on this conflict and to deplore the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (11:23): I rise today to speak on Mr Atkinson’s motion, and I do wish to send my heartfelt sadness at what is playing out in Ukraine at the moment, but also to express my heartfelt wish for peace for our Russian community as well as our Ukrainian community here in Victoria and in Australia, knowing that when a government calls a war there are many innocent people who do not necessarily believe in their government’s push and believe that there are other ways—other peaceful ways—to be able to resolve conflicts and problems. I commend Mr Atkinson’s motion, understanding that this is normally not what we would do in this place as a state parliament, but for me I just want to I guess from my heart say that there are many Russians here in the community who are completely sad at what they are seeing and Ukrainians who are completely sad at what they are seeing as well as the broader community, because here in Australia we are known with our defence forces to be peacekeepers. One of the wonderful things about our Australian Army and our defence forces is that we have spent many, many decades trying to keep peace around the world, so I thank Mr Atkinson for bringing this up today.

Ms TAYLOR (Southern Metropolitan) (11:25): On Monday, 4 April 2022 the Premier met with Mr Stefan Romaniw OAM, co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, the AFUO, to discuss the terrible situation unfolding in Ukraine. The Premier and Mr Romaniw discussed many things, including the Victorian government’s $175 000 contribution to the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria. The funds will support Ukrainians arriving in Victoria from the conflict and also casework and referral services on behalf of Victorians with family in Ukraine, including international tracing of family members who have become separated. This support will complement Victoria’s other support for Ukraine, including an offer to the commonwealth to accommodate recently arrived refugees at Mickleham and our lighting up of public buildings blue and yellow on 24 February 2022. Our thoughts continue to be with the people of Ukraine as they bravely fight against unprovoked acts of aggression from the Russian Federation.

Mr MEDDICK (Western Victoria) (11:26): At the outset I want to thank Mr Atkinson for bringing this particular motion today. I do realise, as some have said, it perhaps strays outside the convention; however, I think it is vitally important that in this place we recognise the situation that is going on.

My father was somewhat of a conservative man but was also a British paracommando in the Second World War, and he was fond of a very Bolshevik saying: a gun is a weapon with a worker on both ends. That is the case with what is happening in Ukraine at the moment. People, the general population, are being sacrificed at the whim of political gain, and that just should not ever be the case—ever. I take my hat off and I recognise all of those people who are fighting for their freedoms within Ukraine, the Ukrainian people. They have my sympathies. I have admiration for them in their defending their country. I have admiration for those who are working with all the animals that are being either abandoned or killed and who are trying to rescue them during the whole process. I also extend my sympathies towards those people in Russia who are demonstrating at their own peril against what they see as an injustice being committed by their own country. We need to recognise them as well.

My party is a party that represents, or tries to on every occasion represent, the moral of passive resistance. Where we see something wrong we try to change it through the political process. We never advocate violence in any form, and I uphold that premise in this place when I say my solidarity is with the Ukrainian people and with those in the Russian resistance. I support Mr Atkinson’s motion.

Dr KIEU (South Eastern Metropolitan) (11:28): I rise to speak to the motion brought by Mr Atkinson. I have been self-restrained in not wandering too far outside our jurisdiction, but having lived through a war, having been a refugee myself and with a history of my motherland, Vietnam, being invaded I want to rise and express my total support for and solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who are fighting for their country, for their independence and for their democracy. I condemn the atrocities of war. Innocent civilians have been tortured, killed and raped and bodies left lying on the street and in mass unmarked graves as part of the destruction of the country and people’s lives. So I just want to express my support for and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and in general to support the fight of the people for their independence, for their country and for their democracy.

Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (11:30): I thank Mr Atkinson for bringing this motion to the chamber. It is a very important motion. It is critical that our chamber takes a clear set of positions on these matters. We have all been shocked by what we are seeing on our television screens, and I think that this is a motion that actually encompasses the views of everyone in this chamber. That is a rare thing, but it is actually reflective of what in fact we have seen. On our screens we have seen really a tyrannical Russian president push in such a way that the community have been shocked by what they have seen—the images on our screens of families, the images on our screens of buildings, the terrible human rights stories that are starting to come forward—and I think this is why it is important that we as a community, but in this case our house, literally, as Mr Atkinson said, deplore the unprovoked invasion, express solidarity with the people of Ukraine and, importantly, note the humanitarian and other support that has been provided. I make the point here that it is beyond humanitarian support, and in this case that is entirely appropriate.

I do take up Mr Atkinson’s point about the solidarity and support for Russian citizens who have risked their safety and freedom in peace protests in Russia. I think we can very strongly make that point, and I do implore the Russian authorities to look for ways to find a peaceful solution to this. There must be a way forward there. There are parties in the world that would act as neutral negotiators in this matter. Whatever grievances Russia may believe it has, these could be dealt with in a better way. It is instructive that after so long in Europe without full-scale war we are seeing what is in fact a full-scale war, and I think that the community here has been shocked by that. The European community has been shocked by that.

The issues that are there in terms of energy supply will have to be confronted. In a realpolitik way there were warnings about excessive dependence on Russian energy supplies, and it is unfortunate that they were not heeded. I think it is unfortunate, and the European nations are now having to confront that difficult reality that they have got a significant dependency. That is going to have to be dealt with, and there may be an opportunity for Australia to play a part in assisting with that.

I do put on record that I think the Australian authorities and Prime Minister Morrison and Foreign Minister Payne have been exemplary in their approach on this matter, and I do think it is important to put that on the record too. As a country we have done very well in putting the case that is now broadly accepted across the world—and not just the Western world but the broader international community. I do say that there is a role for us speaking to people that we encounter too. All of us encounter people from other international communities in the various forums that we move around in, and I think that we need to put the case for the Ukrainian people there. I know Matthew Guy obviously has a partially Ukrainian background and has a deep understanding of these issues and has family in Ukraine, so he has that deeper, I guess, understanding that you have when you have a personal link with a country in this way.

With those small words, I commend Mr Atkinson on bringing this motion to the chamber. I think it is important that it has been moved, and I thank the government for its support in enabling that to happen.

Mr ATKINSON (Eastern Metropolitan) (11:35): I thank speakers who have contributed to the debate on this motion. I think they do represent all of the members in this chamber, I am sure, in terms of the expressions that they have made. I particularly welcome Ms Taylor’s remarks in respect of what the Victorian government has done so far to provide practical support in the context of supporting the people of Ukraine and recognising, as this motion does, the human tragedy of all of this conflict. We can only hope that it is resolved very quickly and peacefully. Of course the last paragraph of this particular motion does call for the cessation of the hostilities and the withdrawal of Russian armed forces from Ukraine. I think all of our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine at this time, and particularly those innocent people who have been caught up in a war that was unprovoked and that really defies comprehension for us in this 21st century. You would think that we would have learned the lessons of the past and the conflicts that have been before and that we would never again have gone to this sort of situation. We can only hope that it is resolved very quickly.

Motion agreed to.