Page 2685 - Week 12 - Thursday, 16 November 1989
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made of the fact that two-thirds of the United Nations comprise tyrannical and non-democratic governments. We have heard mention today of children as young as 11 and 12 being used in human wave assaults during the Iraq-Iran war. Children are still slaves in certain areas. Only recently in the Central African Republic, which was the Central African Empire, it was proved that Emperor Bokassa ate several children. He committed a large number of crimes but that perhaps was one of the most barbaric.
I fear that, whatever convention is ratified by the United Nations, there will be many states in the world who will sign it and perhaps even have an input but will then promptly turn their backs on it and go their own way. That is a problem with a body such as the United Nations. The make-up of that body causes concern to a large number of people in Western democracies, and I think Mr Stevenson is quite right to point that out to this Assembly, as is Mr Collaery. I think that is something we all should bear in mind. I commend that to Mrs Grassby, who spoke most eloquently in relation to the Holocaust on Tuesday during the adjournment debate.
One of the results of the Holocaust was the establishment of the state of Israel, a home for the Jewish people. I am not going to buy into an Israeli-Palestinian argument here; I will merely say that one of the first acts of the United Nations and one of the first acts of the Australian representative, Dr Evatt, was to vote in favour of the establishment of a state of Israel. Israel, of course, is a prior state in the United Nations now, so we must be wary when we look at what motions come up in the United Nations and be wary of any conventions there.
However, having said that, I believe that Mr Collaery's motion covers the legitimate fears raised by Mr Stevenson. It also covers the legitimate criticisms made by certain members in relation to some aspects of Mr Stevenson's original motion, and I commend it to the Assembly.
MR BERRY (Minister for Community Services and Health) (5.07): I rise to speak on this issue, greatly concerned about the apparent direction which Mr Stevenson would require this Assembly to take in relation to the rights of children. I have had a look at a lot of the information that has been circulated, Mr Speaker, and I must say that the misleading nature of something that appears under Mr Stevenson's signature gives me great concern.
I have heard Mr Stefaniak say that the Australian Family Association is a reputable body. However, I must say that some of the paraphrasing that they have involved themselves in, in relation to the descriptions of the articles of the convention, causes me great concern.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, I am flat out hearing you and I suspect that there are others in the Assembly who cannot hear you.
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