Rob Wesley-Smith – Much joy from NT government and business has accompanied the rushing of the Timor Sea Treaty (TST) through both houses of the Australian Parliament 2 weeks ago. But is it a good deal for both sides?
The process was an affront to good government, designed to avoid scrutiny and rejection. Sen. Bob Brown described it as "blackmail" and others talked of bullying the East Timorese. Both are correct.
Howard and Downer are acting like dictators who have been in power far too long.
While Howard cites UN resolutions as an excuse to commit Australian forces to our own illegal acts of terror against Iraqi civilians and yes Iraqi soldiers doing their patriotic duty, he ignored for 24 years all UN resolutions against the Indonesian military occupation of East Timor.
In September 1999 after massive demand from the Australian public he agreed to Interfet, which went to East Timor after it was a smoking ruin. He now claims to be East Timor's saviour, and thus the right to steal its resources. What hypocrisy!
The oil and gas resources covered by the TST and the Unitisation agreement (IUA) over the huge Greater Sunrise gas deposits are all located north of the halfway line between the 2 countries. This is recognised since 1982 as the Maritime Boundary location by the International Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS). Howard and Downer know this because in March last year they unilaterally withdrew from that UN convention, and that part of the International Court of Justice which administers it.
The Ratification of the TST now allows the complete development of the Bayu Undan oil and gas field by ConocoPhillips if they finally decide it is an economic option. This hasn't happened yet. They have been developing the profitable liquids extraction first stage anyway.
East Timor would have got enough royalties from that liquids extraction phase of Bayu Undan to fund their government for the next 20 years, so they didn't really need the treaty. It is Darwin which needed the Treaty.
We might yet get the world's longest undersea gas pipeline, bringing natural gas to a liquification (LNG) plant at Wickham Point before it is all then shipped to Japan. The NT's greenhouse gas releases will almost double just from this. Our harbour will have a dagger in its heart.
It's hard to see the sense in all this unless gas from the larger Greater Sunrise field is brought to Darwin as well. The price for gas sold in Australia is much less than the international price, so why would they?
If they do extract the gas and sell it as LNG they could do that at sea, either on a large ship or set on a reef structure – as is planned for Evans Shoal to make methanol.
Should we be excited about the possible Sunrise development? Not at this stage!
Although Australia has forced an agreement which provides it with 80% of the resource, the agreement may not stand up. Illegal, unfair or immoral agreements, particularly if forced by one powerful partner on a weaker one, have the habit of falling over. eg The Indonesian invasion of East Timor, despite Australian governments supporting this, fell over eventually.
This issue is not only about Law, but goes to the heart of the kind of country we want to be – in fact that we have become. Our government on our behalf has adopted the 'right is might' GWBush credo. What is the world coming to?
East Timor, our immediate neighbour, is the poorest country in SE Asia and assessed as equal to Rwanda, worldwide. Are we happy to kick dirt in their faces?
I know many Territorians have been, and want to be, generous to Timorese, but we must speak up to stop out governments ripping them off.
The East Timor Government regards the TST and Unitisation agreements as transitional until formal EEZ boundaries are in place, leading to formal Maritime Boundaries. Then Greater Sunrise will belong 100% to East Timor.