Australia’s Parliament Moves Cross-Party Motion on Tibet on 67th Anniversary of 1959 Uprising
Today, marking the 67th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising, IPAC Co-Chair Senator Deborah O’Neill (Labour), introduced a cross-party motion on Tibet in the Australian Senate, highlighting growing and international concern over human rights in Tibet and the protection of Tibetian cultural and religious identity. An identical motion was also passed in the House of Representatives.
The initiative marks Australia as the first country within the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) network to introduce a parliamentary motion on Tibet following the Alliance’s unanimous agreement at the IPAC Brussels Summit 2025 to pursue coordinated parliamentary action on Tibet.
The motion was co-sponsored by senators from multiple political parties, reflecting strong cross-party consensus in the Australian Senate on the importance of protecting Tibetan human rights and safeguarding religious freedom. The motion reads as follows:
That the Senate—
(a) extends well-wishes to the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday and commends his lifelong commitment and contribution to the promotion of oneness of humanity, nonviolence, human rights, interfaith harmony, environmental awareness and democracy;
(b) reiterates that governments should not interfere in the selection of religious leaders, and that includes the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama;
(c) expresses deep concern over the Chinese Government's repressive policies in Tibet aimed at eradicating the distinct cultural and religious identity of the Tibetan people, including plans to interfere in the centuries-old spiritual tradition concerning the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama; and
(d) urges the Chinese Government to recognise the fundamental human rights of Tibetan people and to enter into genuine dialogue, without precondition, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a view to achieving long-term peace and freedom in Tibet.
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