CANBERRA: Andrew Wallace, member of the Australian House of Representatives, moved a motion on Tibet in the lower house of the Australian Parliament on 9 September 2024.
The motion called out China’s systematic cultural assimilation of Tibetans. It affirmed Tibetan people’s rights to freely choose their economic, social, cultural, and religious policies without interference from external powers, including selecting the reincarnation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It further noted the recent enactment of the United States’ ‘Promoting a Resolution to Tibet-China Act’ into law and the Canadian Parliament’s support for Tibet’s self-determination.
While moving the motion, Representative Wallace said, “The Chinese Communist Party is not content with simply trying to wipe out the culture of Tibet and Tibetans; they also want to remove their religious background. The CCP wants to control who will become the successor to the Dalai Lama. Australia’s parliament stood in solidarity, united by the convention that we cannot remain silent in the face of evil.”
Susan Templeman MP, Co-Chair of Parliament Friendship of Tibet, seconded the motion and said, “Along with my parliamentary colleagues here, I urge the Chinese authorities to release the Panchen Lama. We don’t want to see any country interfere in selecting the next Dalai Lama. At the Universal Periodic Review of China, the Australian government called on China to repeal legislation and cease practices which discriminate against Tibetans. I support those calls. As you see demonstrated here, we will continue to be a loud voice for the people of Tibet and Tibetans in Australia.”
Dr Daniel Mulino MP and Hon. Dr David Gillespie MP also commended the motion by highlighting the forced assimilation of Tibetan Children and suppression of religious and cultural practices in Tibet. They urged the Chinese government to stop all these suppressions of Tibetan culture, their human and political rights and their freedom of expression, association and religious practice.
The motion was moved during Tibet Lobby Day, which was organised by the Australia Tibet Council in collaboration with the Tibetan Communities in Australia.
Text of the Motion:
“That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) on 6 February 2023, United Nations independent experts identified that approximately one million Tibetan children were being affected by Chinese government policies aimed at assimilating Tibetan people culturally, religiously and linguistically through a residential school system;
(b) on 14 December 2023, the European Union Parliament adopted a resolution on the abduction of Tibetan children and forced assimilation practices through Chinese boarding schools in Tibet;
(c) on 10 June 2024, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed a resolution in support of Tibet and the Tibetan people; and
(d) on 12 June 2024, the United States Congress passed the ‘Promoting a Resolution to Tibet-China Act’;
(2) stands in solidarity with the people of Tibet;
(3) recognises Australia is deeply concerned about reports detailing China’s assimilationist policies, including:
(a) forced labour transfer programs and the coerced separation of Tibetan children from their families through state-run boarding schools;
(b) the detention of Tibetans for peaceful expression of political views;
(c) the suppression of Tibetan religious expression, and
(d) the use of excessive security measures against Tibetans;
(4) reiterates that the Tibetan people are entitled to their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to self-determination;
(5) further recognises that:
(a) Tibetans should be empowered to freely choose their economic, social, cultural, and religious policies without interference; and
(b) religious and spiritual communities should be empowered to choose their own religious and spiritual leaders without government interference, and this should include the eventual successor of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama;
(6) calls on:
(a) the Chinese Government to reengage with the representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama to establish genuine autonomy for Tibetans within China, and urges the Chinese authorities to release the Panchen Lama and
(b) China to:
(i) repeal legislation and cease practices which discriminate against Tibetans based on race or religion;
(ii) cease arbitrary detention, coercive labour transfer, and family separation programs;
(iii) end restrictions on movement and on the rights of Tibetans to enjoy their own culture and language; and
(iv) allow meaningful and unfettered access to Tibet for independent human rights observers; and
(7) further notes that successive Australian governments have and should continue to raise the issue of human rights violations in China through political dialogues with the authorities at the highest levels.
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