Speeches
Address at Signing Ceremony between Bauxite Resources Ltd and Yankuang Group
Friday, 08 January 2010
E&OE…
Together with my Parliamentary colleagues, I welcome to Australia Director-General Tan, Chairman Geng and the delegation from China.
While this event today marks the establishment of a joint venture study between BRL and Yankuang, can I assure our visitors that we in Australia also see it as further enhancing the relationship between our two countries.
Address to Eureka Stockade Memorial Association - The Role of Opposition
Sunday, 06 December 2009
E&OE…
[Greetings omitted]
I am absolutely delighted to be here in the historic city of Ballarat. It’s a real pleasure to come back here as I’ve visited on a number of occasions, and to be present at this extremely important luncheon and I hope that this event will long continue as the people of Ballarat celebrate their history.
I wish speak to you today about the role of Opposition.
Matter of Public Importance - Australia’s Foreign Relations
Thursday, 19 November 2009
E&OE…
Ms JULIE BISHOP (Curtin—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (3.27 pm)—One of the most important roles of the person who holds the office of Prime Minister of Australia is to manage our international relations in a way that benefits the national interest. In fact, the annual report of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade states that one key goal of foreign policy is to have:
Australia’s national interests protected and advanced through contributions to international security, national economic and trade performance and global cooperation.
Members on our side can recall the very high expectations after the election of the current Prime Minister, who had served a lengthy stint as shadow minister for foreign affairs and who clearly regarded himself as a foreign policy expert. That was largely based, it would seem, on his work for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the 1980s. Australia’s foreign relations would be ‘taken to a new level’ under this newly crowned expert, it was proclaimed. It is now very obvious that those expectations were grossly overinflated. But I think it is instructive and, indeed, prudent to look at some of the statements of this Prime Minister when in opposition—that is, statements he made about the coalition’s handling of foreign affairs—so that you can put in context the confected outrage we hear now when questions about his handling of foreign policy matters are raised.Censure Motion
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Ms JULIE BISHOP (Curtin—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (2.58 pm)—I second the motion. It is a fundamental duty of this parliament to ensure accountability— accountability of the government, of the executive and of the ministers. This Prime Minister may not like it, but he cannot avoid it. Yet when serious questions are asked in this House of Representatives to hold the government and in particular to hold this Prime Minister to account about his border protection policies, about deals made with other governments in relation to resettlement of asylum seekers, about offers that his government has made to asylum seekers to settle in Australia within record time, this Prime Minister has a duty to at least give a constructive response if not answer the question. Why is it so difficult for this Prime Minister to stand at the dispatch box, look this country in the eye and tell them what is going on in relation to border protection? Why can he not be straight with the Australian people?Shadow Ministerial Statement - Mine action strategy
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Ms JULIE BISHOP (Curtin) (3.44 pm)—The coalition welcomes the statement of the Minister for Foreign Affairs committing the government to the cause of ridding the world of landmines and unexploded remnants of war. Whenever the issue of landmines is raised, heartbreaking images of injured children immediately come to mind—children with limbs amputated and with other horrific injuries. Landmines do not discriminate between young people or older people and they have killed or maimed many adults among the thousands of casualties that still occur each year. However, it is hard not to be particularly devastated by the injuries to young children. It is disturbing to note that many antipersonnel mines are not designed to kill but to maim and cause horrific injuries. One can only wonder at the motivation for developing and deploying such weapons in full knowledge they can lie for many years as a hidden danger to innocent civilians.More Articles...
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