Distinguished colleagues. The job of a government is to serve and to protect its people. In doing so it is necessary to strike the right balance between allowing Governments to set policy directions and protecting the rights of its citizens.
Based on the evidence of history, our belief is that democratic governments are the best way of getting that balance right.
Democracy and development are good long term partners. As global geo-strategic and geo-economic weight shifts to the Asia Pacific region in the 21st Century, how Governments in our region seek to strike this balance now becomes a matter of global importance.
In this respect, I am taken by the remarks contained in a letter from Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda to colleagues in convening this forum.
The Foreign Minister said and I quote his letter, ‘the idea of such a forum is premised on the fact that Asia is the most populous region in the world's economic centre of gravity with an immense diversity of cultural heritages. Asia is therefore called upon to make a commensurate contribution to the political development of the world. And political development to my mind, means the growth and spread of democracy, the increasing participation of the people in the decision making processes that affect their lives and their future.'
That, I believe is an important statement.
I want to personally congratulate president Yudhoyono for his vision and his regional leadership in convening the Bali Democracy Forum.
It is a forum to consider the role of democracy and fostering peace and security and economic growth and development in the worlds' most populous region. I congratulate President Yudhoyono on his leadership of this nation and congratulate the people of Indonesia for the example they have set for the world.
The transformation of Indonesia has been extraordinary. It has been achieved peacefully and within Indonesia's constitutional framework. Indonesia is now the world's third largest democracy after India and after the United States.
And the people of Indonesia have themselves embraced democracy. (inaudible) it was my privilege to be here at the rebirth of Indonesia's democracy only 10 years ago. Then, as a young member of the Australian Parliament, I came here as a parliamentary monitor for the Indonesian elections of that year, 1999.
And I witnessed first-hand, the excitement and the exuberance and the enthusiasm of the people in the outer suburban areas of Surabaya where I spent a week watching the pre-election preparations, helping monitor the counting of the vote, and being there for the declaration of the results.
It was for me a very deep and moving experience and I would congratulate Indonesia and the people of Indonesia for the fact that today, voter turnout in this re-born democracy is among the highest in the world, consistently more than 75 percent.
Freedom of speech is valued at defended, it is underpinned by a vigorous and active media and today's meeting is convened in the spirit of Indonesia sharing its experiences with other nations. And so for these reasons I am proud to co-chair this meeting with President Yodhoyono.
Our two nations, Australian and Indonesia have different histories of democracy. But we are both fiercely proud of our democratic credentials. Democracy we would regard as a universal standard. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Dr Wirajuda referred to the need for the spread of democracy representing political development in his letter to participants. He said that we could assess political development by the degree to which people could participate in decision making processes that affected their lives.
I agree with that. Put simply, there is something fundamentally right about the idea that the people should be given a say in how they are governed. Democracy is neither the property of the west, nor is the property of the east. Democracy is the property of all human kind.
This is not just my view. It is reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sixty years ago, at a meeting presided over by Australia's foreign minister at the time - he was also serving as president of the General Assembly of the United Nations - we, the countries of the world, adopted the universal declaration.
Let us reflect on what we adopted within that declaration. Article 21, which sets out the basis for democracy, it says, and I quote, ‘the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government'.
By including these words, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises that democracy is not restricted by ideology, by religion, by culture or by state of economic development. It proclaims that democracy is a universal standard to be aspired to by all peoples and all nations. This is our solemn declaration 60 years ago. This remains our solemn aspiration for all countries and all communities in the world.
Democracy is far from universal. In the Asia-Pacific, as in a lot of regions, democracy has not always been easy to achieve or readily embraced. Our job is to work to see its reach expanded. And through today's forum we can help to advance democracy. Through our discussions we can help to consolidate democracy. And through our discussions and deliberations we should seek to deepen our democracy.
His Excellency the President just referred to the fact that we need to build institutions to promote democracy within our region and to engage in the exchange of democratic ideas, processes and procedures.
These are the basics of democracy. Ensuring governments are aware of the needs of citizens and responding effectively to those needs; ensuring that our governments are accountable to the people for our decisions; fostering the free flow of information; fostering the competition for ideas; promoting a culture of participation and ensuring that the poor and the vulnerable are not left behind.
Every democracy has its own particular mechanisms. But what they have in common is that institutions such as parliaments, the judiciary and the media provide checks and balances on the exercise of power. And through these checks and balances people's voices are heard, their rights and interests are protected and we get the best outcomes.
I believe that Australia has something to share with others through this Bali Democracy Forum, in the spirit of cooperation described by Dr Wirajuda and President Yudhoyono.
Australia was among the first countries in the world to adopt a number of innovations, which today are considered basic principles of democracy. Australia counts itself as one of the world's five oldest continuing democracies.
In Australia we were the first to introduce the secret ballot. Together with our friends in New Zealand we were the first to recognise the right of women to vote. Australia is the first country in the world to give women the right to stand for parliament.
We are therefore proud of our history of democratic development. When the six States of Australia united to form a single country in 1901, it was done through a peaceful democratic vote.
Yet we also recognise that democracy is not static. The institutions of democracy need to be constantly reviewed and improved. In Australia, our Government has committed to increasing transparency and accountability. This is a continuing process. None of us ever arrive at a point of democratic perfection.
We are in Australia involved in the process of reforming freedom of information policies, reforming our electoral laws, reforming our laws concerning political donations and public funding. And we are committed to effective and responsive democracy. This is a continuing work and challenge for us all.
Our people also pass their judgment on democracy by whether it delivers the results. Does it deliver development? Does it protect its citizens? Does it allow different voices to be heard? And does it hold governments accountable?
When President Yudhoyono wrote to me inviting me to Co-Chair this forum, he wrote to me and said ‘the global situation demands from all governments a democratic response, that will effectively deliver good governance and socio-economic development while directly involving the citizenry in the decision-making processes that effect their lives and the future of their children.'
History shows that responsive democratic institutions can assist governments in responding to economic challenges in promoting growth.
The global economic crisis is in an immediate challenge for all of us. We need everyone to work together to develop the best responses. We need nations to work together. And within nations we need the private sector, government and the broader society to debate and to develop the best responses to the current crisis.
Democracy provides a channel for that to happen. Democracy is about open government and that means accepting the best answers might sometimes come from outside of government.
To conclude, the job of government is to serve and protect its people. The people are best served and protected by democracy. We need to support the development and spread of democracy within this, our region and our region will be the region of the 21st century.
We are all served if we have better governance and more democracy in our region. So Mr President, I would support your remarks that we through this forum, this important forum, the first time where governments of our region, as you said before have convened such a forum on democracy, rather than simply consigning it to the realm of academic discourse.
We've convened governments to talk about the future of democracy. Building on that I believe, flowing from this important Bali Democracy Forum, we should develop mechanisms to continue the dialogue among us (inaudible) power our practical processes within democracies can be developed and taken further. And for those who have not yet fully embraced the democratic path, how we can assist them in so doing.
Australia therefore, is proud to support Indonesia and President Yudhoyono in particular in this most significant and important regional initiative.
Building and consolidating democracy truly represents a strategic agenda for Asia. The title given to this forum, Setting a New Strategic Agenda for Asia is a good title. The 21st Century extends a challenge to all of us to rise to this new aspiration for our peoples. Mr President, I thank you.