Legal action against Australia by Timor-Leste in the Permanent Court of Arbitration

NOTICE OF MOTION

I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move that -

The Senate:

a) Notes the recommencement of legal action against Australia by Timor-Leste in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague regarding claims that Australian spies bugged a Timor-Leste cabinet office during negotiations over an oil and gas treaty in 2004;

b) Calls on the Minister for Foreign Affairs to direct the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to reissue a passport to the individual known as ‘Witness K', a former senior intelligence officer who came forward as a whistle-blower, to enable them to appear as a witness at the upcoming hearing of the case;

c) Affirms the right of the Government of Timor-Leste to bring these proceedings against Australia in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the need for this case to be independently investigated.