The Senate has supported the Greens’ call for the International Red Cross to be granted full access to West Papua.

A motion moved by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young this morning, calling for the Australian Government to urge the Indonesian Government to allow the International Red Cross into West Papua, was supported by the Senate.

“It is of great concern to the Greens that the International Red Cross cannot fully access West Papua,” said Senator Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson for Human Rights.

The Senate calls on the Australian Government to urge the Indonesian Government to allow the International Red Cross full and unfettered access into West Papua.

Motion carried on the voices.

That the Senate

(a) Notes that His Holiness, the Dalai Lama:
i) is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate;
ii) addressed a joint sitting of the United States Congress in 1991 and received a US Congressional Gold Medal in 2007
iii) addressed the European Parliament in 2001 and 2008; and
iv) has been made an honorary citizen of Canada 

(b) Extends an invitation to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, to sit in the distinguished visitors gallery on the floor of the Senate during Question Time, on the last sitting day of 2009, Thursday November 26.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the Greens are disappointed that the Senate has refused to invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama onto the Senate floor during his scheduled Australian visit later this year.

This morning Senators Hanson-Young and Xenophon jointly moved a motion calling on the Senate to invite the spiritual and political leader to sit in the distinguished visitors’ gallery. Both senators are members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet, and enjoyed an audience with His Holiness on a delegation to Dharamsala, India, last month.

That the Senate:

(a) notes:

(i) August 15 was the sixty-fourth anniversary since the conclusion of the World War Two; and
(ii) During the war, up to 200,000 women and girls were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military and kept in ‘comfort stations’; 

(b) recognises that:

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has welcomed the Federal Government's move to review Australia's international education, saying the Senate Inquiry into the sector that is currently underway can inform the internal review.

A review into the international education sector's laws and regulations is to be brought forward from 2010, it was announced today, following concerns about the welfare of students and the quality of education.

Senator HANSON-YOUNG - I move the amended motion, as circulated in the chamber:

That the Senate supports the call by the Deputy Prime Minister (Ms Gillard) on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation program Lateline, 16 June 2009, to support:

(a) a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine
conflict; and

The Australian Greens have put their support behind the Fair Trade Fortnight (2-17 May), encouraging Australians to take part in events occurring around the country.

"Fair trade enables consumers to make an ethical choice when purchasing products, enabling even the simplest of transactions to have huge, global impact," said Australian Greens industrial rights spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.

"The movement advocates the payment of a ‘fair price' as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods."