Sydney – Australia West Papua Association representative Joe Collins has rejected a Sydney-based Lowy Institute paper that argues that the trust of Australians in Indonesia is low.

"The Australian people are not suspicious of the Indonesian people but they are suspicious of the Indonesian military because of its past behavior in East Timor, Aceh and continuing abuses in West Papua," he said yesterday.

"Why is West Papua the "elephant in the room" in our relationship with Indonesia mentioned only once in the 28-page Lowy paper and then in passing?" he asked.

"Yet, West Papua is the most likely issue to cause a major hiccup in our relationship with Indonesia. Indonesia might be a democracy but West Papuans still suffer human rights abuses and are jailed for raising their flag at peaceful rallies. A number of books on West Papua have recently been banned in Indonesia."

Mr Noonan said the AWPA welcomes good relations between Indonesia and Australia but not at the expense of the West Papuan people.

"With the Indonesian President's visit to Australia there is a chance for the Rudd Government to discuss the human rights situation in West Papua and help improve the lives of the West Papuan people," he said.

The Lowly Institute is an advisor to the Australian Labour Party.