Motions

Greste, Mr Peter

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:28): I move:

That this council:

1. Condemns the conviction and sentence given to Australian journalist Peter Greste and his colleagues from the Al Jazeera network; and

2. Supports the commonwealth government in its diplomatic efforts to bring about a positive outcome for Mr Greste and his family.

I am sure that all Legislative Council members will now be familiar with the information that last week the Australian journalist Peter Greste and his fellow Al Jazeera colleagues Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were found guilty and convicted of reporting false news by an Egyptian court. In a deeply troubling precedent for journalistic freedom, Mr Greste received a seven-year sentence whilst his colleagues received a seven-year sentence and a 10-year sentence respectively. The Al Jazeera journalists were also convicted of supporting previous Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which was declared a terrorist organisation following the 2013 coup that deposed Morsi.

The Greste case is an alarming development, given claims by the Egyptian government that its country is on a transition to democracy. Political leaders around the world have joined in condemnation of the injustice that has been meted out to Mr Greste and his colleagues. The legal process that resulted in the conviction bears no resemblance to any we would consider appropriate, with the prosecution failing to present a single piece of concrete evidence to support the allegations against the three men.

The seven-year sentence also came as a great shock to Mr Greste and his family and friends, who were obviously not anticipating a sentence anything like that duration. Mr Greste’s brothers Andrew and Mike have been present in Egypt during the trial, while his parents, Juris and Lois, have remained in Queensland. For Mr Greste’s aged parents the events of last week will have been, no doubt, terribly upsetting. Up until last week there was a general acceptance that Peter Greste was in one way or another likely to soon be free of the dubious legal circumstances in which he found himself. For Juris and Lois Greste, the seven long years before they see their son free from prison must seem like an unimaginably long time. I am sure that, like me, members feel deeply for their tragic situation.

I have been advised that the Greste family has been receiving good consular support from the Australian government in their efforts to free their son and brother and I commend our diplomatic service for their hard work. It is also gratifying to see the massive public outpouring of support for the journalists.

Only last Monday, a number of senior Australian journalists from a broad spectrum of the Australian media met with the Egyptian Vice-Consul to Australia, Mr Ahmed Farid. They handed him a letter signed by 100 media organisations and non-government organisations from around the world which called for the immediate release of Mr Greste and his colleagues.

The delegation meeting with the senior Egyptian diplomat also handed over a petition, organised by Amnesty International, which contained over 150,000 signatures. The Australian federal government has also been lobbying for Mr Greste’s freedom. However, the possibility of a pardon in the near future has effectively been ruled out by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has said that he will not interfere in judicial matters. Any presidential pardon could only happen after the appeal process has been exhausted, and the indications are that the appeal process could be very lengthy indeed.

In order for the Australian government to secure the freedom of Mr Greste and his colleagues from the confines of their Egyptian prison cells, it will be necessary for our diplomatic services to work at the very top of their game, skilfully exercising deft and well-considered judgement in a very timely fashion.

A further consideration is that this all must take place within the current context of a rapidly changing and highly volatile Middle East situation. All the indications are that the campaign to free Mr Greste will be of a long-term nature rather than short-term and, as such, as the weeks, months or even years tick by, we must not forget the dire situation Mr Greste finds himself in merely for reporting the news, nor the grief and worry that his family must be feeling for him.

This is, of course, a very significant case for Mr Greste but it is also a significant one for journalistic freedom and the values that accompany that ideal. We expect that a fair and balanced reportage of world events is available to us every night when we turn on the evening news; however, Mr Greste’s lengthy and deeply unjust incarceration is a timely reminder of the personal risks in which journalists place themselves in order to bring us that information and to keep us informed and abreast of international matters.

Defending the right of journalists to work in a free and objective manner is obviously an important principle to defend, as are other far-reaching consequences of this case: the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary in Egypt, and the fair and equitable application of the law. For all these reasons I believe it is appropriate that this house resolves to provide support for the commonwealth government’s diplomatic efforts, and I commend the motion to the council.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. A.L. McLachlan.