Australian government secret negotiations revealed
Australia's government is being accused of a massive breach of trust and security with almost a hundred other countries, after a secret list of bilateral negotiations was inadvertendly made public.
Canberra admits its embarassed but is playing down the importance of the 58-page document. But there is sensitive information in the document, for example on legal arrangements to allow uranium sales to China, Australia-Indonesia defence negotiations, civil space tracking talks with Russia, the U-S and Europe .. and, ironically, the fact that talks with Indonesia and Malaysia on an agreement to protect classified information is on hold.
There is now concern that Australia's international relations could suffer.
Presenter: Linda Mottram
Speakers: Simon Crean, Australia's Trade minister; Julie Bishop, Australian Opposition Foreign Affairs spokesperson; Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens Senator;
Dr Alison Broinowski, author and former diplomat, University of Wollongong and Australian National University.
CREAN: Well I don't think it's a good thing that you table something that says shouldn't be tabled. But that's the fronticepiece, I'm saying look at the substance if that's your question.
MOTTRAM: The Foreign minister's Opposition counterpart, the Liberal Party's Julie Bishop says its more than embarassing. She calls it a shocking breach of security and trust with long term implications.
BISHOP: The information released is highly sensitive. I t deals with matters from military and defence co-operation through to immigration and uranium sales. Not only is it highly embarassing for the Rudd government but it also has the potential to damage our long term international reputation. How can other countries trust the Rudd government to keep confidential sensitive information that it has provided to the Rudd government in good faith.
MOTTRAM: One of the negotiations revealed is the progress being made towards a new defence treaty under the Lombok agreement between Australia and Indonesia. For the record, the list says Indonesia has provided a first draft of the proposed agreement and Australia is currently preparing a counter-draft document. Another item that's likely to be sensitive in Australia involves already known plans by B-H-P Billiton for a big expansion of its Olympic Dam uranium mine. It wants to sell ore to China, where uranium would be extraced for use in China's more than two dozen nuclear power plants. Australian law currently allows such exports for non-nuclear purposes only so Australia has been negotiating with China for an agreement to clear the path for the deal. And that wasn't known publicly before. There's history on the uranium exports issue, including previous Australian plans for uranium sales to India and Russia. In the case of India, a non-signatory to the non-proliferation treaty, the plans were scuttled. In the case of Russia, very stringent conditions were imposed. In the case of the negotiations with China, the Australian Parliament's treaties committee would eventually have had a chance to scrutinise and recommend changes to the deal. But Greens party Senator Scott Ludlum has a further view on the issue.
LUDLUM: The Australian Parliament and the Australian people should be told when negotiations over sales of uranium to nuclear weapons states are occurring. It shouldn't be happening behind our backs.
MOTTRAM: Author and former diplomat, Doctor Alison Broinowski, says it is a serious breach of security that will concern other countries.
BROINOWSKI: After all its their business too and there are things in there that for whatever reason they may not wish to have known in their own countries and we would be irritated too if the same thing happened to us.
MOTTRAM: She doesn't see long term harm to Australia's international relations though. But, Doctor Broinowski says, the incident may say something about the amount of pressure on Australia's public service.
BROINOWSKI: I've heard from former colleagues and friends that the place has been eviscerated of staff pretty much and there's a lot of pressure on them. We have a very activist Prime Minister of course and a lot of demands on their time and perhaps the sorts of cross-checking that used to go on in our day, and we were terribly careful before we put anything in the Parliament or anything up to the minister, perhaps pressure of work has got to them a bit.