Historic meeting brings West Papua’s humanitarian crisis to Australian Parliament
August 20, 2026
The Australian chapter of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) held its first public meeting on Monday 17th August at Parliament House in Canberra.
This historic meeting, which took place on the same day as the 81st anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day, was hosted by Senator David Shoebridge, IPWP Vice Chair for Australia, and marks a new chapter in regional parliamentary solidarity with the people of West Papua.
In his opening remarks, Senator Shoebridge said the meeting was fundamentally about ‘’truth telling’’. Though Australia remains regional friends with Indonesia, it is the duty of a good friend to tell the truth to each other, including the human rights abuses in the region and Indonesia’s denial off West Papuans right to control their destiny, land, culture and their language. The Australian Greens senator expressed his ongoing commitment to ensure that the issue of West Papua is raised and contested.
A West Papuan delegation comprising of representatives from Melbourne and London brought the ongoing humanitarian and human rights crisis in West Papua directly before Australian parliamentarians. Amongst the delegation was ULMWP President Benny Wenda, who opened with a clear message that Australia has a moral obligation, as the biggest country in the Pacific region, to safeguard the people of West Papua. He called on all parliamentarians to continue putting pressure on the Australian government especially in the lead up to the 2026 Pacific Islands forum (PIF) in Palau, reminding them of the Joint resolution made at PIF 2019 which urged the Indonesian government to allow the UN high commissioner to visit West Papua. In his speech President Wenda also acknowledged the brave efforts of the many West Papuans, especially the KNPB, who rallied on the streets both in West Papua and Indonesia against the 1962 New York Agreement.
Dr. Siobhan McDonnell, who sat amongst the West Papuan speakers, spoke to the ongoing destruction of New Guinea’s virgin rainforest, reminding Parliamentarians: ’what is being destroyed is the equivalent of the amazon rainforest’’ and Indonesian government is not being held to account.
The meeting room was also filled with the Testimonies and speeches of West Papuans especially the young voices of students and those from displaced refugee backgrounds especially in Yahukimo. The meeting comes at a critical time. According to figures provided by Franciscans International in collaboration with the world council of churches, more than 125,931 West Papuans were internally displaced as of July 2026. Indonesia also continues to deny access to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), despite sustained international calls for an independent human rights visit to West Papua.
The meeting was attended by Australian parliamentarians from various parties, such as Senator Paul Scarr (Liberal National Party) and Hon Ged Kearney MP (Labour Party), demonstrating that concern for human rights and the humanitarian situation in West Papua can and should extend beyond party politics.
