What is the Australian Government currently doing to resolve this issue?
The Australian Government claims that “it doesn’t have the resources” to meet on a monthly basis as requested by the East Timorese negotiating team who want to settle the dispute as quickly as possible. Instead, the two negotiating teams have been meeting on a six monthly basis. This is typical of the Australian Government’s approach to this issue as the longer the maritime boundary remains undefined, the more money the Australian Government stands to make from gas and oil royalties belonging to East Timor. In the absence of a maritime boundary, Australia is obliged under international laws to act with restraint in regards to accessing the gas fields. However, every day that passes, $1 million of ‘stolen goods’ contaminates the Australian economy. On top of this, the Australian Government is still continuing to grant new exploration licences to petroleum companies.
