Babuan Mirino, President of the West Papua Women’s Office, and Nely Baransano in Canberra, March 2024 (Photo: Tommy Latupeirissa)
A delegation from the West Papua Office in Docklands (Victoria) visited Canberra for Greens Senator Janet Rice’s Valedictory (farewell) Speech in Parliament House on 26 March 2024, and to host a Remembrance Ceremony at the Netherlands Australian War Memorial on 27 March 2024 for Dutch, West Papuans and Australians who worked together in West Papua during World War Two. The delegation led by Jacob Rumbiak (Foreign Affairs Minister, West Papua Transitional Government) included Wilhelmina Waromi, Nely Baransano, Ribka Ovide, Immanuel Kubuan, Babuan Mirino, Louise Byrne, and Tommy Latupeirissa from Ambon (Maluku).
1. SENATOR JANET RICE
During her terms in Australia’s Federal Parliament since 2014, Senator Rice has been a consistent and passionate advocate of West Papua’s self-determination. She’s bought paintings, created legislation, stood on trucks at rallies with a megaphone. And no one has forgotten her artful contribution to the West Papua Debate in the Melbourne City Council’s prestigious Yarra Room in October 2022 (Is Australia doing enough to support West Papua? at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTehqpRvZ5U).
West Papuans and their Australian supporters are most grateful for Janet’s energetic intelligence and generosity, and for the Australian Green’s long-standing advocacy for the West Papuans’ self-determination that was so cruelly thwarted by the United Nations in November 1961. We look forward to becoming friends with Janet’s replacement in the Senate Steph Hodgins-May.
“West Papua, too, will be free. The shocking revelations in the media this week about the torture of West Papua freedom fighters shows the oppression that West Papua is under. There’s a contingent here tonight from the Federal Republic of West Papua, including Foreign Minister Jacob Rumbiak. Thank you Jacob, and all for joining me here, I’m really touched” [Senator Janet Rice, 26 March 2024].
Stills from Senate camera-recording (link below to Senator Rice’ full speech).
Thanking and congratulating Janet with a seed necklace from West Papua
Janet concluded her ten-year term in the Senate by riding her bike back to Melbourne (below for how to join, donate, and celebrate)
2. MEMORIAL AT THE NETHERLANDS AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
On 26 March 2024, the West Papua Women’s Office hosted a memorial at the Netherlands Australian War Memorial to honour Dutch, Americans, West Papuans and Australians working (in West Papua) during WWII. This is very much an untold story, even more unknown than the memorial itself, a small elegant structure unveiled in 1991 (surrounded by Defence buildings and bollards and dwarfed by the 79 metre US Memorial behind it). In 2019 we launched (We fought in the Jungle our publication of a World War Two Dutch memoir (see below).
2019 Launch of We fought in the Jungle at Netherlands Australian War Memorial https://dfait.federalrepublicofwestpapua.net/document/ulmwp-pilgrimage-to-canberra-9-september-2019/</a
Join Janet’s big bike ride from Canberra back home to Melbourne!
During her Valedictory Speech, Senator Rice declared she wasn’t going to stop ‘doing politics’. (In truth, she probably can’t help herself, it all beginning for the maths and meteorology student from Altona forty years ago, in 1983, saving the Franklin River; then as Co-founder of the Victorian Greens, and then as a Greens Councillor in the City of Maribyrnong).
Janet’s first post-senate activity is riding home to Melbourne on her bike (mirroring her ride to Canberra ten years ago). Naturally it’s a fund-raising adventure and Jacob Rumbiak is joining her on his electric bike for the final leg, from Dandenong to Footscray.
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- Why not farewell Janet at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday 14 May 2024?
- Welcome her home in Footscray, Melbourne on Thursday 30 May?
- Bike with her through the foothills for a couple of days?
- Donate to the causes she supports: Australia West Papua Association (West Papua Women’s Office), Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Australian Tibet Council.
- Details
https://facebook.com/events/s/arriving-home-in-footscray-end/1122441915632395/ - Register to ride (no cost)
https://forms.gle/nS9yPG87hGetfQVb8 - Make a donation
https://chuffed.org/project/109467-janets-ride-home-from-canberra-fundraising-for-human-rights
Senator Rice’s Valedictory Speech, Parliament House, 26 March 2024 (22’)
https://youtu.be/kI2jBzSMn_Y?si=lzdiINvKWW3rG-Y8
