I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Senator Tsebin Tchen, Member of the Australian Multicultural Council (AMC) and I write to express our condolences to his wife and his family.

Tsebin will be remembered by many for his contributions to a better, more inclusive Australia. As Australia’s first Chinese-born migrant elected to federal parliament, Tsebin was a pioneer for diversity in Parliament and a champion of multiculturalism.

The significant contributions that Tsebin made to multiculturalism in Australia in his capacity as a Senator, academic, and Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, as well as his role as a member of the Council remain a lasting legacy and inspiration for generations to come. Tsebin will be particularly remembered by the Council for his generous and kind nature and thoughtful contributions.

There will be a public memorial at Melbourne town hall on 18th December at 10am at which Dr Hass Dellal AO will represent the AMC.

Once again, I extend my condolences on Tsebin’s passing. He will be very much missed.

The Australian Government has announced that it will consider whether Australia should adopt legal measures to impose sanctions upon individuals who commit gross human rights violations across the world. Senator the Hon David Fawcett, Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, announced today a new parliamentary inquiry to examine the issue.
For this purpose, I now invite and encourage all concerned individuals and organisations to make submissions addressing any or all of the terms of reference (detailed below) to the committee for the inquiry by Friday, 31st January 2020, or by 28 February 2020 if the submission is made internationally. Submissions will be used to inform the advisory report to be issued in March and will play a significant role in the government’s ultimate decision and the legislative process.

Please refer to the following website for more details:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/MagnitskyAct/Media_Releases

And the following link advises on making submissions:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Making_a_submission

The terms of reference to be detailed in submissions:
1. the framework for autonomous sanctions under Australian law;
2. The use of sanctions alongside other tools by which Australia promotes human rights internationally;
3. The advantages and disadvantages of the use of human rights sanctions, including the effectiveness of sanctions as an instrument of foreign policy to combat human rights abuses;
4. Any relevant experience of other jurisdictions, including the US regarding their Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (2016);
5. The advisability of introducing a new thematic regulation within our existing Autonomous Sanctions Regime for human rights abuses.