Bob Briton – Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is now in a hurry to conclude an agreement with the government of East Timor over the maritime boundary between the two countries.

At stake is control of oil and gas reserves estimated to be worth $42.74 billion. Even though all three major oil and gas fields lie on the East Timor side of the midway point between the coasts of the two countries – the internationally recognised method used to define a maritime boundary – it is estimated that the struggling nation will earn only $5.7 billion under present arrangements.

While Downer had previously said that a final agreement on the maritime boundary and revenue sharing might be decades away, he is now saying that an accord might be in place by Christmas.

While much is being made of the new "creative" atmosphere in discussions being held with East Timorese negotiators, it is more likely that pressure from the oil industry is responsible for the Foreign Minister's sunnier disposition. Woodside Petroleum has reportedly been pressuring parties to finalise the legal situation or risk stalling its $6 billion Greater Sunrise project.

East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta and his Australian counterpart agreed last month to fast-track discussions.

Negotiators met in Darwin last week and in Canberra the week before. Downer could not resist trying to portray the Australian side as victims of a bullying effort on the part of the East Timorese. He claimed that East Timor had "run a bit of a campaign against us publicly and a lot of abuse has come flying our way.

But, you know, that's not really made any difference. We've got to do the right thing, not just by East Timor but by Australia."

While comments from East Timor's PM Mari Alkatiri's about the very real bullying by Australian officials were widely reported, the claim of a "campaign" is rich. Our impoverished neighbour simply does not have the funds to mount an effective public relations campaign about the theft of its natural resources.

The fact is that much of the moral pressure being applied on this issue comes from Australians ashamed of the behaviour of successive Australian governments. A campaign by grassroots organisations in support of East Timor's independence and its rights to its resources has been carried on for over a quarter of a century.

Demonstrations against the Howard Government's stance were held during the recent discussions in Canberra. A TV advertising campaign favouring a more just distribution of the oil wealth was funded by wealthy WA accountant Ian Melrose. A 30-second ad was screened and a one-minute message is coming. Father Frank Brennan, founder of the Jesuit Social Justice Centre has warned the East Timorese about losing their country's sovereignty in the deal currently under discussion.

Recently two former peacekeepers went public with their views on Australia's treatment of East Timor. Former Australian Federal Police officer Wayne Sievers told the media that the maritime boundary dispute was about nothing other than the theft of East Timor's oil. Former army major Chip Henriss-Anderssen said, "We're a country that's developed and on our feet. Timor is a country that's really struggling – these people have nothing."

The Australia East Timor Friendship Association and the Australia West Papua Association are holding an open air forum outside Downer's Adelaide office – at the Commonwealth Bank building 100 King William St – this Friday at 12.30PM. East Timor will be an inevitable topic of discussion for the candidates for Downer's seat of Mayo.

For his part, Opposition Leader Mark Latham said that he would re-open boundary discussions to ensure a fairer deal for the East Timorese. The Greens have consistently backed calls for an internationally arbitrated readjustment of the sea boundaries between the two countries.