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Letters to the Editor:

Pragmatic arguments about the Timor Gap

In the Weekend Australian (July 31 -- August 1, 2004), 
two articles about the sharing of oil and gas resources in the 
Timor Sea were published. One was written by Christopher Pearson 
and the other by Paul Kelly.

Both articles depict East Timor as being ungrateful for 
Australia's intervention to stop the massive slaughter being 
wreaked on it by the Indonesian military and its militias in 
1999.

Neither article presents the true East Timor position. Its main 
argument is not to cry poverty, but is based on international 
law.

Pearson's article cannot really be taken seriously as he does not 
develop a serious case for supporting Australia's stance. He is 
merely content to make insulting remarks about Australian 
politicians who are trying to adhere to the principles of 
fairness and international social justice.

Paul Kelly argues that East Timor is not agreeing to the boundary 
that was negotiated between Indonesia and Australia during the 
former's occupation of the country. Why should it accept? It was 
an agreement between the illegal occupying power and Australia, 
the only country to recognise Indonesia's sovereignty over East 
Timor.

Indonesia accepted the lop-sided agreement because it was an 
international pariah due to its murderous behaviour in East 
Timor. Australian leaders now expect the East Timorese to accept 
a rotten deal that the East Timorese leaders had no say in. These 
are the people who preach values to us. One may ask, what sort of 
values?

Under international law, the sea bed boundary between Australia 
and East Timor is the line midway between the coastlines of the 
two nations. This means that most of the oil fields currently 
being exploited (including Greater Sunrise) are in Timor's half 
of the sea.

Australia has already taken revenues worth about $1.7 billion 
from the oil in East Timor's part of the Timor Sea. These monies 
should be held in escrow by the UN until the actual boundary is 
agreed upon.

The fact that the richest nation in the region is short-changing 
the poorest is a great disgrace for Australians of goodwill. It 
is even more so when we recall the sacrifices that the East 
Timorese made for Australia during World War 2 and the shameful 
24-year period of betrayal by successive Australian governments 
when East Timor was occupied.

If The Australian is to be fair in this debate, it should 
allow the East Timorese to put their position in the pages of the 
paper. It is very one-sided to have articles from two 
correspondents who have never shown much respect for the human 
rights of the East Timorese.

Andrew (Andy) Alcock
Chairperson Australia East Timor Friendship Association
(South Australia) Inc Forestville, SA

Why am I not surprised that Pru Goward, federal Sex 
Discrimination Commissioner, has come out and supported the 
Vatican's most recent take on women's rights? Goward's 
endorsement of the Pope's statement, which includes an attack on 
"feminism" as the cause of conflict between men and women, is a 
disgrace. (Why don't you take that little gem and promote it at a 
women's refuge Pru? Well, anyway at one the Howard Government 
hasn't managed to shut yet.)

This at the same time as there is a concerted push by the right, 
led by the Government, to completely bar women's access to 
abortion. Some Sex Discrimination Commissioner! I think the 
agenda for Goward is to, sometime in the future (if she gets the 
chance after the coming election) oversee the dismantling of the 
Sex Discrimination Act.

In her response to the Vatican's paternalistic pronouncement she 
slyly tied in the anti-abortion message, saying the Pope "is 
recognising" women have the right to work and bear children, 
otherwise, says Goward, "we are going to see a continuation of 
the decline in the fertility rate". So, Pru, that's the fault of 
feminists as well, is it? We certainly do have a lot to answer 
for.

In fact, it seems we've made men so dysfunctional with our 
feminist ways the Government believes there is a need for a 
special mentoring program for school-age boys.

And Goward apparently believes that her role as Sex 
Discrimination Commissioner gives her the right to speak for all 
women who, it appears, are just waiting out there to satisfy 
their throbbing, biological urge to procreate: "We love being 
different and we love having children."

Which brings us back to that fundamental right -- women's right 
to have control over their own bodies. The anti-abortion crowd 
are currently attacking the right of women to choose. We're told 
choice on abortion has ceased to be the main question now, 
overtaken by such intangibles as "values" and "moral imperatives" 
and the like.

So, it turns out that in this society based on individualism, 
where "choice" is held up as the ultimate right of the 
individual, women are to have their right to choose taken away, 
if the emissaries from the Dark Ages get their way.

They have no more enthusiastic a supporter than the Sex 
Discrimination Commissioner: "When the Pope says let's get on 
with it and support both those roles [work and motherhood], I 
think the game's over." It's a long, long way from that, Pru.

Jo Dunleavy
Wodonga, Victoria