SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
WORLD CONFERENCE ON RELIGION AND PEACE
MELBOURNE 22 JANUARY 1989
Your Excellency,
Your Eminence,
Your Grace,
Honourable Presidents of the WCRP,
Respected visitors and fellow Australians.
On behalf of the Australian Government and people may I
extend a very warm welcome to participants in the Fifth
Assembly of the World Conference on Religion and Peace.
Australia is honoured that you have chosen Melbourne as the
site for your Conference, particularly as, after previous
Assemblies in Kyoto, Leuven, Princeton and Nairobi, this is
your first Assembly in the South East Asian and South
Pacific regions.
I have no hesitation in asserting that you will find in this
city and this country an atmosphere which is most conducive
to discussion of the difficult but vital issues summed up in
your theme for this meeting " Building Peace Through Trust
The Role of Religion"
I say that with pride because there can be few countries
that display a greater commitment to peace and tolerance, at
both the official level and in the daily lives of its
citizens, and both in international and domestic affairs,
than does Australia.
A formal demonstration of this fact was evident in the
unique religious service which was held as part of the
opening of Australia's new Parliament House in Canberra last
year. It was a moving and important affirmation of the
multicultural nature of our society that, in one of the most
significant ceremonies of our Bicentenary Year, senior
representatives of Christian denominations, along with
leaders of the Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist and other faiths,
and with representatives of Aboriginal Australians joined
together to bless the new House and its proceedings.
Official ceremonies such as this are important in that they
are a reflection of the realities of our society. And
indeed Australia today is a multicultural and tolerant
society in which people of many faiths and ethnic
backgrounds live and work together in harmony.
Four out of ten Australians were born overseas or have at
least one parent born overseas half of them from
non-English speaking backgrounds. Our population is drawn
from over 130 nationalities and cultures. Almost all the
major world faiths are established and practised in
Australia, complementing the profound spiritual traditions
of our country's original inhabitants.
Churches and temples, synagogues and mosques, worshipping
places and sacred sites play a significant part in the daily
lives of many Australians.
More broadly, Australians have shown themselves remarkably
successful at building a society which is capable of finding
peaceful means to deal with potential conflicts.
Differences of opinion are of course as they should be
firmly entrenched and vigorously expressed not least in
politics. Cultural diversity is proudly maintained and
articulated. But we have been much better at resolving those differences
through peaceful and constructive means than we are at
building barricades and shedding blood.
I do not pretend that dark and divisive forces and
under-currents do not exist in Australia, as they do in all
countries. But I take pride in the capacity of Australians
in daily life to find the common ground, the mutual
interest, and to build on those shared values, rather than
perpetuating differences in a way that advantages no-one and
disadvantages everyone. In that way we are giving daily
meaning to those traditional and justly famous impulses of
the Australian character towards egalitarianism and a fair
go. This capacity is as apparent in our international
relationships as it is in our domestic arrangements. We
have not been afraid to fight in defence of freedom. But we
are proud too of our record of contributing to the
negotiations of the great international councils, our role
in keeping the peace in trouble spots around the world, our
efforts to achieve disarmament.
Over the last twenty years your members have also carried
out valuable work in pursuit of world peace and in the
protection of human dignity. Your mission is all the more
impressive because it has brought together representatives
of the world's major religions, united in these common
causes of crucial importance to the improvement of human
existence and, ultimately, to the survival of life on this
planet.
3.
So as Prime Minister I am grateful for your invitation to
open this Conference. It provides an opportunity to welcome
you to Australia as individuals and representatives of
groups that are deeply concerned about important issues
facing mankind; it allows me to offer the perspective of the
Australian Government on some of those issues and to compare
our views with yours; and it provides the opportunity
perhaps to suggest ways in which we can do more to achieve
the goals we share.
The first thing that has to be noted before such an audience
is that, since the last meeting of the World Conference on
Religion and Peace, held in Nairobi in 1984, there has been
a considerable improvement in the international environment
in which we operate-.
No one should pretend that all of the rivalries and tensions
that have characterised the international political and
economic systems since the conclusion of the Second World
War have been resolved.
Nevertheless, there are grounds for viewing the current
world outlook with some optimism.
In many dimensions, peace is being built through trust.
Between the superpowers, we have seen the gradual emergence
of a constructive relationship which has led, for the first
time, to negotiation of an arms control treaty which
eliminates an entire class of nuclear weapons.
Within the Soviet Union itself, we have seen with President
Gorbachev's programs of perestroika and glasnost a long
overdue and still incomplete, but nevertheless very
encouraging, movement away from the repression and
inflexibility that for too long characterised the Soviet
system.
Noteworthy improvements in human rights, including the
fundamental right to profess and practise religious faiths,
are in train. We acknowledge what is being done to improve
the lot of Soviet Jews and Christians. We look to further
progress. Of course much remains to be done by the Soviet Union and
its allies, and their current levels of performance are
variable. We in Australia, as I have said on a number of
occasions, will judge the Soviet Union by its deeds, not
words. The same applies to the East European allies of the
USSR. Yet these developments are starting to bear fruit in a
number of areas. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is
coming to an end. The Gulf War is over. The Vietnamese
occupation of Cambodia may be drawing to a close.
With all this, we now look to resolution of that most
intractable of regional disputes, the Arab-Israeli dispute
in the Middle East.
The super-power relationship provides a favourable
international background.
Important regional participants, particularly Egypt and
Jordan, are demonstrating flexibility and good will.
The recent statements by the Chairman of the PLO are major
steps in the right direction.
We hope that the new Government of Israel will respond
positively to the improving environment.
All of us here, I am sure, want to see the day when Israel
and its neighbours can live in peace and constructive
harmony, and when the Palestinian people in the Occupied
Territories achieve the self-determination and human rights
which are legitimately theirs.
In all this, Australia has sought to play an active and
constructive role. We do not pretend, as a middle-ranking
nation, that we have a decisive influence on dangerous and
complex global issues such as these.
But because the goals of world peace, arms control, human
rights and social justice are of fundamental importance we
do have a responsibility to act to the limit of our
capacities. This we proudly claim to have done.
We have been actively involved in making an effective
contribution to the cessation of the nuclear arms race and
to the reduction in the size of the nuclear arsenals.
We have actively supported initiatives to end all forms of
testing of nuclear weapons; to ban chemical weapons; to
prevent an arms race in outer space; and to encourage
restraint in the international arms trade. We gave high
priority to observing the International Year of Peace in
1986 and in this we were joined by many Australian
churches and we are still seeing the fruits of those
labours. I quote with pride the words of the Secretary General of the
United Nations Conference on Disarmament, Mr Komatina, who
told me in Geneva in 1987 that the cause of international
peace and disarmament would be further advanced if other
nations had shown the same political commitment and
technical expertise as Australia.
The Australian Government has also attached high priority to
the protection and promotion of human rights. Human rights
know no boundaries; we regularly raise our concerns about
human rights abuses with a wide range of countries,
incluidng our regional neighbours and close allies as well
as countries further afield.
The standards we espouse are established by international
instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. We actively participate in the monitoring of
existing human rights standards, and their future extension,
by international agencies such as the United Nations. In
calling on all countries and governments to observe these
internationally-accepted standards, I know I speak with your
full support. The role of churches throughout the world in
advancing the cause of human rights, often in situations
where churches and church people themselves face repression,
has been an inspiring and constructive contribution to
individual freedoms.
I want to take this opportunity to welcome the recently
concluded East-West " agreement covering human rights
negotiated in Vienna. This positive development is a sign
of the importance of Human Rights in international affairs
today, and of the growing improvement in relations between
the world's two major ideological camps.
Maintaining an active human rights policy is not an easy
course for any government. There are dangers of seeming to
interfere in the internal politics of other nations, or of
giving offence to those with whom we wish to maintain
friendly relations. But our end objective is to help
individuals suffering from abuse, and I believe that
Australian involvement in human rights issues does have this
effect. Ladies and gentlemen,
Within this broadly optimistic overview, there are of course
a number of persistent and intractable problems which will
continue to engage our attention in the years ahead. Let me
deal with one of the most important ones today: the tragedy
of South Africa.
I want to express a special welcome to the large
representation at this Conference from Southern Africa and
the attendance by such strong exponents of justice in that
region as Archbishop Trevor Huddleston.
The Australian Government stands proudly at the forefront of
nations opposed to the abhorrent regime of apartheid, which
continues to impose fundamentally unjust measures on the
majority of South Africa's people on the untenable basis of
race. The continuing political polarisation in South
Africa, and the repression and violence that result from it,
are both morally unacceptable and, ultimately, can only work
to the disadvantage of all South Africans, white and black.
Successive Australian Governments have condemned the
policies of apartheid and called for the initiation of a
genuine process of negotiation between authentic
representatives of South Africa's people and the
establishment of a non-racist democratic system.
In this, we recognise the vital role played by the South
African churches. Names such as Desmond Tutu and Alan
Boesak have become synonymous with courageous and principled
moral leadership in the face of threats and repression.
In the absence of the South African authorities coming to
the negotiating table, the Australian Government believes
that comprehensive mandatory economic sanctions are
necessary. Australia has been urging South Africa's major
trading partners to adopt such a policy since the
effectiveness of sanctions depends very much on their widest
possible adoption.
In the meantime, Australia has put into effect the full
range of sanctions adopted by Commonwealth countries and,
through the Commonwealth Committee of Foreign Ministers on
Southern Africa, is examining ways to widen, tighten and
intensify economic and other pressures on South Africa.
We also decided last year to increase substantially our
program of assistance to Southern Africa to a total of $ A100
million over the three year period 1987-90.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It would not be appropriate if I limited my comments in this
address to the international scene. As host country to this
Conference, Australia can expect to come under scrutiny for
the way we manage our domestic affairs. I have already said
that you will find a positive atmosphere in this country for
your discussions. I want to pay tribute to the positive
role the Australian churches have played in creating that
atmosphere. In countless thousands of ways the churches of Australia are
working to create a fairer and a better society.
From the earliest colonial times churches have played an
important part in the development of Australian society.
Their early involvement in teaching laid the foundations for
our dual education system.
Today, with their hospitals and nursing homes, their
services for the homeless and disabled, their charitable
work on behalf of those who cannot help themselves,
Australia's churches are proving through their actions the
depth of their commitment to social justice.
My Government proudly acknowledges that service and
commitment as an essential adjunct to its own programs, and
to those of the Australian States.
This is a very appropriate occasion too, to place on record
my thanks to those Australian churches which suggested and
developed last year's important Parliamentary initiative on
behalf of Australia's Aboriginal and Islander population.
At the start of our Bicentennial year, just over twelve
months ago, the Heads of the Australian Churches issued a
statement entitled " Towards Reconciliation in Australian
Society". This excellent initiative led directly to the
first action of the Australian Parliament in our new
building the passing of a resolution acknowledging the
prior occupation of Australia by Aborigines and Torres
Strait Islanders and their subsequent dispossession and
dispersal, and expressing the determination of the
Parliament and of the Government to promote reconciliation
with those people.
Finally, and of great importance, I want to recognise the
vital role of the Australian churches in promoting the
values of racial equality and tolerance in Australia.
In a Statement to the Nation in August 1988, the Uniting
Church in Australia affirmed:
We rejoice in the vision of a multicultural society
where peoples may live together in unity and
diversity, maintaining different cultural traditions,
yet forging a common destiny based on commitment to the
ideals of equality of opportunity, tolerance, justice
and compassion."
Those words would find endorsement in the hearts of all
Australians of good will.
There are, regrettably, racist elements in our community who
have tried to poison the atmosphere of our community life;
some churches and individuals have at times been victims of
these unacceptable and ugly extremists.
However the articulate moral leadership provided by the
churches has been an important factor in encouraging the
maintenance and growth of cultural tolerance throughout the
community.
Australians are simply not prepared, as a community, to
adopt or endorse racist practices and procedures in any area
of our public life. The churches can take special credit
for the endurance of this fact.
So in this international forum I want to pay special tribute
to the outstanding and forthright defence, by the Australian
churches, of the values of tolerance during the recent
debate on immigration and multiculturalism.
My friends,
There are many great challenges that still lie before us.
In too many parts of the world, too many people still live
under appalling conditions of poverty and hunger.
Too many innocent civilians suffer in too many senseless
regional conflicts.
And, despite recent progress in arms control and
notwithstanding the promise of further reductions in the
arsenals of nuclear weapons, we still face the awesome
prospect that all our achievements, and all the achievements
of those before us, may be obliterated in nuclear
armageddon. To some, these challenges seem insuperably complex.
But that must not be our response.
We must not succumb to the paralysis of despair; we must not
shed our obligation to ourselves and to future generations
because progress towards building a saner and a safer world
seems unattainable, or glacially slow.
Progress will be slow. But we must learn never to abandon
the gradual, hard, grinding task of constructive
negotiation, positive collaboration, peaceful growth.
Today I have spoken a great deal about what this Government
has done, and about what you and your constituent members
have done, to build peace through trust.
Let me now declare this Conference open by expressing the
hope that where, in the future, you feel political leaders
can and should do more, you will not fail in your obligation
to make your views known.
Equally, it is my hope that where we see eye to eye we will
be able to continue working towards those precious goals
that we share.