Nigel Wilson – The federal Government's release of exploration acreage in the Timor Sea has been described as "a slap in the face" for East Timor Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.
Shadow resources minister Joel Fitzgibbon said it was another example of the Australian Government bullying East Timor over maritime boundaries.
On Monday, Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane included Timor Sea acreage among 31 new offshore petroleum exploration areas available for tender, saying Australia had a long history of sovereignty over the area.
East Timor and Australia have begun negotiations on a maritime boundary. Dr Alkatiri has argued that Australia is robbing his country of billions of dollars in revenue by approving projects in areas of the Timor Sea where sovereignty is in dispute. He has called for existing production in developments such as Laminaria/Corallina to be stopped until the boundary is settled.
Mr Fitzgibbon yesterday reiterated that the ALP wanted to achieve a negotiated settlement with East Timor in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the maritime boundaries protocols which the Howard Government withdrew from before signing the Timor Sea treaty with East Timor two years ago.
Mr Fitzgibbon said the ALP was committed to settling the maritime boundaries within three to five years and he had great confidence in the negotiation process. But he rejected allowing the boundary to be set by the International Court of Justice.
"These are matters for bilateral negotiations. I don't think we need the international community to tell us how to run our foreign policy or our resources policy," Mr Fitzgibbon said. "I'm sure that we can work through this thing together but it won't work if the present Government continues the high-handed attitude and the bullying tactics. Mari Alkatiri will go back into his shell."
Mr Fitzgibbon said the East Timorese had a strong case for their boundary position, which Australia should acknowledge. Australia could continue to send direct foreign aid, or work out a way to help East Timor become self-supporting, he said.