MARISE PAYNE
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Women
STATEMENT ON HONG KONG
12 November 2020
Beijing’s disqualification of duly elected Legislative Council lawmakers seriously undermines Hong Kong’s democratic processes and institutions, as well as the high degree of autonomy set out in the Basic Law and Sino-British Joint Declaration. The disqualifications follow the arrests of current and former pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong over an incident in the Legislative Council in May this year. Australia calls on authorities to allow the Legislative Council to fulfil its role as the primary forum for popular political expression in Hong Kong, and to remain a key pillar of the rule of law and the “One Country, Two Systems” framework. This is critical to maintaining international confidence in Hong Kong. Australia and the international community will continue to monitor developments closely and maintain a consistent focus on human rights and the principles of freedom, transparency, autonomy and the rule of law.
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