PM claims things are 'getting better, not worse' in West Papua, in response to questions about protest incident at consulate

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Tony Abbott has bought himself a fight with a key Senate kingmaker after declaring that West Papua is better off under Indonesian rule.

On Monday, Abbott told reporters in Bali that “the people of West Papua are much better off as part of a strong, dynamic and increasingly prosperous Indonesia”.

The Australian prime minister appeared to shrug off reports of human rights abuses in the troubled province, arguing the situation in West Papua was “getting better, not worse”, courtesy of reforms implemented by the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Abbott’s remarks were part of a response to questions about an incident in Bali where three West Papuan students occupied the Australian consulate on Sunday morning to protest about conditions in the province.

The prime minister was implicitly critical of the incident. “Australia will not give people a platform to grandstand against Indonesia,” Abbott said. “We have a very strong relationship with Indonesia. We are not going to give people a platform to grandstand against Indonesia. I want that to be absolutely crystal clear.”

Abbott has been looking to soothe tensions in the Australia-Indonesia relationship prompted by the Coalition’s policy on unauthorised boat arrivals.

The prime minister has used a state visit to Jakarta and his subsequent visit to the Apec conference in Bali to send public messages that Australia respects Indonesia’s sovereignty in its waters and its territory. He said on Monday he wanted the pro-Jakarta messages on billboards, and up in “flashing lights”.

But the remarks from Abbott on Monday prompted a swift retort from Democratic Labor party senator John Madigan, one of the crossbench senators Abbott will have to court to achieve his legislative agenda in government.

Madigan is a strong supporter of West Papuan independence. The DLP senator has already called on the government to give the students involved in Sunday’s incident sanctuary in Australia.

“I’d like to know what evidence has been presented to Mr Abbott for him to be so adamant that the situation in West Papua is getting better, not worse,” Madigan told Guardian Australia on Monday. “Is he simply taking the Indonesian president’s word for it? I certainly hope not.

"If Mr Abbott is so sure that things are improving in West Papua, why won’t he support calls for international journalists and human rights observers into the region? It just doesn't add up.”

Madigan was joined by the South Australian independent senator Nick Xenophon, who said the students involved in Sunday’s protest were simply making “modest and respectful” demands of Australian consular officials. “I’m not supporting separatism for West Papua but I am supporting the close monitoring of human rights,” Xenophon said. “Why aren’t journalists allowed into West Papua?”

Abbott also received criticism on Monday from businessman Ian Melrose, owner of the Optical Superstore chain and a prominent human rights campaigner. Melrose bankrolled a series of pro-West Papua TV advertisements for Madigan earlier this year.

Melrose told Guardian Australia: “The reason journalists aren’t allowed into West Papua is because of human rights abuses.

“If Tony Abbott is 100th the Christian he tells the public he is, he wouldn’t be doing what he is doing and and saying what he is saying. He would be standing up for human rights in West Papua and he’s not.”

The businessman praised the “bravery” of the West Papuan students involved in the protest at the Australian consulate.