A NEW security treaty signed between Australia and Indonesia could stifle voices of protest on human rights in Australia and promote nuclear proliferation, a Catholic justice and peace commission member said.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda signed the treaty on the Indonesian island of Lombok on November 13.
The Lombok Treaty will cover defence, terrorism, police co-operation, intelligence sharing, narcotics, disease, people smuggling and emergency relief, but will also cover agreements on nuclear programs.
The treaty also commits Australia and Indonesia to support each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Dr Greg Poulgrain, a member of Brisbane archdiocese’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, said he was worried about the implications of a nuclear pact between Australia and Indonesia.
On the issue of West Papua and refugees he said he thought “Jakarta and Canberra had come to some arrangement to stop some groups in Australia from voicing their opinions”.
He said the treaty still had to be presented to the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, which then will call for public submissions and expressions of interest before the treaty can be ratified.
