I would like to see an equally informed comment on the ALP’s policy on the maritime boundary as voiced by Tanya Plibersek after the last ALP conference. It’s worth remembering that Laurie Brereton, shadow Foreign Minister in the late 90s, was the (surprising) key to the ALP's about turn on Timorese independence and at least partly responsible for Howard and Downer's change of direction. Draw the (median) Line advocates would be well advised, I think, to use the coming federal election to focus their campaign on ALP candidates, Foreign Policy Committees, Unions and rank and file both to ensure they understand the party’s policy on the issue and that they publically commit to it.

Perhaps East Timor would be well advised to remember that they only exist because of Australia's efforts, & we are the only real friend they have.

I for one, among many, am getting a bit sick of them, & their bitching. If they keep it up we would be well advised to walk away, next time their big neighbour starts flexing it's mussels.

Stezza...

The original agreements on the sunrise oil/gas fields, were with Indonesia, before ET independence.
Indonesia agreed to the boundaries which are now set, and was happy to take ( I think), 8% of the royalties.
That % was raised to 50/50, favouring ET, when conditions were renegotiated after independence.

Even if Australia were to agree to a boundary change, and deal itself out of the fields altogether, East Timor would then be faced with negotiating agreements with Indonesia, since part of the field would fall into their territory. It's messy!

It is also interesting to note, on this subject, around the time of negotiating the boundary agreement with Indonesia, Australia was in the controversial position of conducting joint military exercises with Indonesia on Australian soil.

Adding to the controversy, was the sale of surplus AMF weapons to Indonesia. This was in view of the uprising in East Timor about that time. So Australia was firmly on the side of the Indonesians. It's obvious why, at the risk of sounding syndical .

Yes Diver, Witlim was, I believe, among other things a gutless wonder. Who caved in to Indonesia at the first chance, With few objections from the Fraser, led opposition, even though we more than matched them in our navy and at the time superior air power.

And given our alliances,, one of which is nuclear armed, could have more than matched their military.

I've heard stories of a Maori battalion, that just stood its ground on a Malaysian coastline and put the frighteners through and faced down the intending invading Indonesians (late fifties-early sixties) with an aggressive and descriptive fixed bayonet Haka.

The Indonesians, are brave warriors when taking on unarmed women, children and old men, and will even take on bows and arrows over annexed land, when they have tanks and air power.

Even so one resolute maori battalion armed with just SLR's a few mortars and bazookas, were able to turn back a massive expeditionary Indonesian invasion force (flotilla), without a shot fired, in the war that never was.

Conversely, PM Howard just stood his ground on East Timor and was the last to blink! Hence a now free fledgling democracy!

As for royalties, 50% of something is far better than the former agreed 8%, or the the 100% of nothing that is the result of stalled negotiations, and given the time it took to get a ruling on Southern ocean whaling, stalled for at least a decade, with the whaling outcome, ensuring any ruling unenforceable?

Our existing maritime boundaries are the moat that gives us our enhanced security, and would likely go to war, rather than see them disassembled by this or that vexatious and mischievous activism.

When the international court is able to enforce a firm and irrevocable two state solution on Israel and Palestine; that both will honor and respect, and or oblige China to cease its "reclamation" works on remote if disputed reefs?

Perhaps we should allow ourselves to be guided by them and negotiated agreements, always providing those agreements aren't torn up at the first opportunity, by a now entirely unreliable "friend!"
Rhrosty.