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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-27 Daily Xml
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Motions

Sudan Conflict

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (17:03): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes with concern the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has left the country at a catastrophic and cataclysmic breaking point;

(b) notes the terrible toll that the conflict is having on civilians, with reports indicating up to 150,000 have been killed through violence, starvation and disease, up to 14 million people left with no option but to flee their homes or being forcibly displaced and widespread and systemic violent acts targeting women and children;

(c) expresses horror at the famine currently underway throughout Sudan, with a staggering 25.6 million people facing acute hunger, and fears that up to 2.5 million people could die by the end of 2024;

(d) notes the high risk that the violence will escalate into widespread ethnic cleansing and the broad use of starvation techniques, and the escalation of recently reported usage of water and food poisoning, which could lead to the second genocide in Sudan in less than two decades;

(e) commends the commonwealth government’s $33.45 million commitment in humanitarian assistance to Sudan, including medical supplies, food, water, sanitation and emergency shelters for the most vulnerable;

(f) calls on the commonwealth government to ensure that the continued humanitarian assistance and diplomatic efforts going forward are commensurate with the sheer scale of the unfolding disaster; and

(g) expresses our support for Sudanese South Australians, many of whom have family and friends in Sudan who are suffering or are affected by this catastrophe.

I would like to begin by acknowledging the members of the South Australian Sudanese community in the chamber today, including Mr Magdi Eltahir, the President of the Sudanese Cultural and Social Society of South Australia, and other members of his association. Thank you for joining us at this most difficult time in your country's history.

South Australia is a proudly multicultural society. People from every corner of the world have come here and built lives shaped by peace and prosperity, enriching our state with new infusions of culture, language, faith and importantly cuisine, all of which have brought an incalculable benefit to all South Australians. The strong and enduring ties that the people of countless traditions and backgrounds maintain with family and friends in communities all over the world is a gift to our state, allowing us to share in their moments of joy and celebration.

But it also means that we share in their times of greatest tragedy. I know that countless South Australians are watching international conflict rage in their homelands, living under a constant weight of fear, anger and despair, all the while hoping against desperate hope for word that the fighting has stopped and that their loved ones are finally safe.

We are all familiar with the personal stories of the invasion of Ukraine and the Israel Gaza conflict and we can be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scale of global human suffering in these two conflicts. However, we have a duty. We have a duty to also contemplate human suffering that we may not be seeing on our television sets. It is a fact that some Western media that rightly dedicate broadcast time and column inches to the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe are dramatically less than likely to pay a similar level of attention to a crisis playing out in Africa. There is an injustice to us all having consciousness through the media of what is happening in Ukraine and the Middle East but having little consciousness of what is playing out in Sudan.

The people of Sudan are no strangers to catastrophe, having suffered so much in recent decades: brutal civil wars, the horrific genocide in Darfur and famines that have killed hundreds of thousands of people, especially the most vulnerable—the old, the sick and especially children. However, what we are seeing today is not only the largest and most destructive conflict in the nation's history it is also perhaps the largest current conflict on the entire planet.

Reliable information is hard to come by, with both the Sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces carrying out barbaric acts against the civilian population in a conflict that can allow no victory. Over 10 million people—10 million people—more than a fifth of the entire national population, have been displaced internally, with another two million fleeing into neighbouring countries.

Cities and villages are in ruin. Satellite images show charred, burning fields and trucks dumping bodies into the sacred waters of the Nile. There are credible reports that both fighting forces have deliberately destroyed agriculture production and prevented the distribution of food and aid to civilians. They are using starvation as a weapon of war during the worst famine in 40 years. The WHO has estimated that 73,000 children face the effects of severe malnutrition, even if they survive the conflict itself. By the end of this year, some have estimated that the conflict and famine could cost up to 2½ million lives—a greater number than the entire population of the state of South Australia.

These are more than acts of violence: they are crimes against humanity. Both sides are complicit in these horrors, as are the foreign jurisdictions and mercenary groups that support and fuel the conflict to further their own economic and political agendas. This is a crisis that has direct implications for Australia, threatening to upend everything from the international supply lines to the growth of fundamentalist terrorism and the damage to the fragile geopolitical balance without which peace in our world can never flourish.

More importantly, this is a humanitarian tragedy on a scale that boggles the mind. This is a crisis that demands action from the entire international community. I say again: the location of a conflict makes no difference; what matters is how we respond to the senseless loss of innocent human lives whoever and wherever they are.

With this motion—this simple and, I acknowledge, humble act—the parliament supports the federal government's call for greater diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to deliver aid to the people who are so desperately in need. But it is also a pledge to our state's Sudanese community that the people of South Australia walk alongside them during this time of trial and share in their hope that Sudan will secure a future that provides its people with peace and plenty of prosperity.

I have had the opportunity along with the Minister for Multicultural Affairs to chat to representatives of the leadership of the Sudanese community here in South Australia. They have expressed their own concern for their brothers and sisters from their homelands, as described to me on the steps of the parliament—an act of hope that their calls will be heard. I want to assure you that everybody in this place hears your calls and we share your concerns.

Whatever our respective faiths may be, I am sure each of us can spare a prayer for those who are in Sudan and the suffering they are enduring. It is our perpetual hope that the international community will rise up in the same way that we have seen extraordinary acts of heroism and generosity in Ukraine and also in the Middle East, and that that can be replicated again in Sudan.

You are not forgotten by fellow South Australians. Our hearts are with you, we stand with you, and we very much hope that at some point in the near future your loved ones in your homelands can have the same peace and prosperity that we too often take for granted here in the state of South Australia. We stand with you, God bless, and everyone will continue to hold the people of Sudan in their thoughts and prayers.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (17:13): I thank the Premier for bringing this motion to the house and I thank the members of the Sudanese community, the Sudanese Cultural and Social Society, and other community leaders to the parliament. As the Premier just said, God bless you for being here and bringing attention to the cause of your homeland, your heritage country, and of course the suffering and devastation that your family, loved ones and people you know are facing right now.

The Premier in his speech talked about the focus of the world's attention, certainly here in Australia, on Gaza, on Ukraine. We have readily available television images in our homes and on our screens on a regular basis. Many people in our community are familiar with those challenges and the extraordinary suffering faced by many communities around the world. Yet the scale in Sudan—as has been outlined and which I will go through in my prepared remarks in a moment—is extraordinary.

It is in standing as Deputy Leader of the Opposition alongside the government, as the opposition does support this motion, as the federal Liberal opposition supports the federal government in that support which has been provided so far—although, as has been acknowledged, more must be provided—that I hope this will ensure that you are seen and that the community's pain is seen, as we see the work of the community in our prosperous South Australian multicultural society already.

The Sudanese community in South Australia is 1,000 strong. Over the last 25 years, you have enriched our state, coming here and making a contribution. The Sudanese community, as the census data will tell anyone who is interested, can be marked through its youth: 50 per cent of the Sudanese community in South Australia are under the age of 35. A significant number of people are in primary and secondary education and also seeking apprenticeships and skilled qualifications and tertiary study. Of course, those in the older categories are making a difference in the way that they contribute through their labour, through their work, whether as labourers, healthcare professionals or healthcare workers—jobs that we need done in South Australia in all fields of life.

The Sudanese community is marked by a propensity towards faith, whether Islamic or Christian of all denominations. Of course, all of us who share a faith find it tested at times. We pray that it will also help people find solace at times of struggle, and we also pray that through people reaching to their faith they will find a level of peace and a way forward, and that sides that are in conflict can be brought together through that. The Premier's motion begins by noting:

…with concern the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has left the country at a catastrophic and cataclysmic breaking point…

In April last year, Sudan was utterly thrown into disarray when its army and paramilitary groups began this vicious struggle for power that has claimed, we understand, as many as 150,000—and perhaps more—lives already, whether through violence, starvation or disease.

The war has been described as the world's largest displacement crisis, with nine million people forced from their homes. In April last year, the people in Sudan, the people of Sudan, were not living in the prosperity that we know so well in South Australia: 46 million people were living on an average annual income of $750 per person. This conflict, of course, has made things so much worse in the last year. I understand that in 2023 alone the economy shrank by 40 per cent; I can only imagine what further disruption has occurred. The motion also:

…notes the terrible toll that the conflict is having on civilians, with reports indicating up to 150,000 have been killed through violence, starvation and disease, up to 14 million people left with no option but to flee their homes or being forcibly displaced and widespread and systemic violent acts targeting women and children…

When leaving his post in September, I am advised UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, accused the RSF of committing sexual violence, looting and killings in areas it controls, and condemned the Sudanese Armed Forces for indiscriminate aerial bombings. The UN has described the war as triggering the 'world's worst hunger crisis'. Action Against Hunger describes five million Sudanese people dealing with 'emergency levels of hunger'. The motion before the house:

…expresses horror at the famine currently underway throughout Sudan, with a staggering 25.6 million people facing acute hunger, and fears that up to 2.5 million people could die by the end of 2024…

In 19 months of conflict, almost 80 per cent of health centres in the affected areas are non-functional. The humanitarian toll has been compounded by those human rights violations, those sexual violence violations that were described before. Aid agencies have long been complaining that security threats and roadblocks have greatly hampered their efforts to deliver vital goods, like food, to people who need them. Food is expensive. Sudan's annual inflation rate surged to 136 per cent in the first half of this year alone. As discussed earlier—the starting point. The motion continues:

(d) notes the high risk that the violence will escalate into widespread ethnic cleansing and the broad use of starvation techniques, and the escalation of recently reported usage of water and food poisoning, which could lead to the second genocide in Sudan in less than two decades…

In October, international observers reported fresh evidence of ethnic cleansing in Darfur. Human Rights Watch said ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity are being committed against ethnic Masalit and non-Arab communities in the region. It seems clear that civilians in the state are being targeted because of their identity.

The motion commends the commonwealth government's commitment in humanitarian assistance to Sudan, including medical supplies, food, water, sanitation and emergency shelters for the most vulnerable. Since April last year, the Australian government has provided that range of assistance, as described. I will take a moment to quote from the shadow minister for foreign affairs, the Liberal Party spokesperson on this in Canberra, Senator Simon Birmingham of South Australia. I quote:

We join the government in calling for the parties, the national army, the Rapid Support Forces and others engaged in the conflict to urgently cease hostilities, to return to negotiations and also to settle arrangements to protect the humanitarian assistance that people across Sudan desperately need and deserve. We…urge them to continue to work to provide safe passage for those who want to leave areas where fighting is taking place, including…Khartoum and Darfur.

He went on later to say:

We urge the Australian government and all nations to continue to provide support to ongoing efforts with partners and allies to evacuate Australian citizens—

I suspect parts of the speech were from a little while ago—

and others who need to leave, and to continue to support efforts towards peaceful resolution. We urge the parties within Sudan and their supporters to use any and every opportunity to pursue a peaceful end to this conflict…

The motion calls on the commonwealth government to:

…ensure that the continued humanitarian assistance and diplomatic efforts going forward are commensurate with the sheer scale of the unfolding disaster…

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has, as the Premier alluded to in his speech, called out the international community for not doing enough for the people of Sudan. An amount of $2 billion in humanitarian funding received by Sudan since the war began in their estimation represents under 50 per cent of the funding required. There is clearly more to do, and the international community must work together. The motion concludes:

(g) expresses our support for Sudanese South Australians, many of whom have family and friends in Sudan who are suffering or are affected by this catastrophe.

I will add to my earlier words the greetings, the condolences, the best wishes of the Leader of the Opposition, Vincent Tarzia, and the shadow minister for multicultural affairs, the Hon. Jing Lee MLC, and, indeed, the entire Liberal parliamentary team. I am sure that, in addition to the government who are speaking, the Liberal Party and also the crossbench will join us in supporting this motion, which will have the wholehearted support of the entire house.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (17:23): I support this motion and in doing so wish to acknowledge the members of our proud Sudanese community who are here in the chamber today. I acknowledge your president, who joined me for a conversation before we came into this house. I acknowledge that each and every one of you has a family member or many family members who are facing conflict as we speak. That is a heavy burden to bear. We acknowledge through this motion today that the world needs to pay attention. I just want to acknowledge how individually this is impacting you every single day.

Sudan is a country that has been shaped by external forces more than any other. Colonialism and invasions from multiple foreign powers have held back Sudanese people for centuries. The country, with great natural and mineral wealth, has had to contend with the political consequences of economic vandalism and arbitrary borders. For Sudanese civilians these events were not of their making, yet they continue to affect their prosperity and stability today. This instability has had awful consequences.

Members in this chamber would no doubt be aware of the horrific genocide that plagued Sudan at the turn of the century, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Sudanese people have shown great resilience despite all these events, and our thriving Sudanese community here in South Australia is a testament to that. However, the latest conflict threatens to destroy any hope of progress in recent years. It is barely reported in our media, but it is a humanitarian disaster and it is unfolding and will eclipse anything we have seen.

So far, 150,000 people have been killed, 14 million people are displaced, and 25.6 million are facing acute hunger. These alarming figures are made worse by reports of systemic crime, including starvation, water and food poisoning, and the specific targeting of women and men. I just want to talk a little bit about this and the conversation we have had recently about women between the ages of 14 and 17 being targeted for acts of violence, targeted for rape, all in the name of war. This will stay with them forever.

This is something that not enough attention is paid to because we have seen this repeated in world wars over and over again. We must think about those girls and those women who had no choice. We must think about how we support them because sometimes they feel disconnected, unwanted, that they themselves brought on these acts of violence. We think about them today as we think of everyone in Sudan.

We know that there has been targeted destruction of entire communities and we must as an international community continue to call this out. I would like to recognise the commonwealth government provided humanitarian assistance; however, there have been incredible challenges to doing so in this volatile environment.

To the people in the gallery today of our South Australian Sudanese community, we know you came here for safety and opportunity. I was hearing today about the many different roles you play within our community. There are many of you in the medical field and many others giving back every single day. I want to recognise your contribution to our society.

There has been a change in how we hear our news. I know that you are hearing from your friends and your relatives on your phone. They can directly connect with you. There is an incredible feeling of guilt because you cannot be there. I know that many of you, when you have additional money you send it back, you support people in so many ways, but I just want to recognise the trauma that you are also experiencing because you are here and they are there.

I want to support this motion that our Premier has put forward. We should have been talking about this. We should have been calling it out. Today, we go a small step forward by acknowledging and passing this motion in the South Australian parliament.

Motion carried.

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