The Australian Government has appointed Steve Bracks, a former Prime Minister of the State of Victoria considered a ‘friend’ of Timor-Leste as its special representative to help unblock the impasse surrounding the Greater Sunrise project.
The decision, which the Australian press considers the “strongest signal so far” that Canberra is interested in advancing the development of the project in the Timor Sea, was confirmed by the head of Australian diplomacy, Penny Wong.
Wong said the appointment of Steve Bracks demonstrates the “Government’s commitment to the mutually beneficial and commercially viable development of the Greater Sunrise gas fields”, a project she considered “fundamental to the economic development and resilience” of Timor-Leste.
“The Australian Government wants to see the development of Greater Sunrise in a commercially viable way that supports the economic development of Timor-Leste and maximizes benefits for all parties, consistent with the Maritime Boundary Treaty,” it said in a statement quoted by Australian Financial. review.
“As a special representative, Seteve Bracks will represent the Australian Government and consult with the Government of Timor-Leste and other key stakeholders, including the Greater Sunrise Consortium,” she said.
Wong highlighted the fact that Steve Bracks had “in-depth knowledge of Timor-Leste and a close relationship with its people and leaders as a result” of a close engagement over several years.
The Australian Financial Review reports that Steve Bracks has strong ties to Timor-Leste.
The appointment follows Penny Wong’s visit to Timor-Leste in September and the subsequent State visit of Timorese President José Ramos-Horta to Australia, in which the Greater Sunrise project was the dominant topic on the agenda.
Located 150 kilometers from Timor-Leste and 450 kilometers from Darwin, the project has been mired in an impasse, with Dili advocating the construction of a gas pipeline to the south of the country and Woodside, the consortium’s second largest partner, defending the its link to the existing unit in Darwin.
In recent months, contacts between the parties have intensified, with the 2019 treaty that defined the maritime borders between the two countries providing for the signing of a production sharing contract, in addition to other technical frameworks.
The project has become particularly urgent in view of the risk that Timor-Leste may face, as early as 2034, a fiscal precipice with the end of the Petroleum Fund that currently finances almost the entirety of the General State Budget (OGE).
This weekend, former East Timorese President Xanana Gusmão – and main negotiator of the permanent border treaty – argued that it will not be other Governments, much less companies, to prevent Timor-Leste from being able to implement the dream of having a gas pipeline to the south coast of the country. .
“If the Timorese are determined that this is the way forward, it will not be other Governments and even less commercial entities that will take us away from our path, our vision and our dream: to build a sustainable future for our country and our people,” he said at a seminar in Dili.
“Bringing the pipeline to Timor-Leste requires vision, a lot of effort and a lot of work and the ability to attract investment. But it is up to Timor-Leste and not others to dream their own dreams and fight for their causes”, he said.
The Australian newspaper notes that in 2019 Bracks argued that the then Australian Government should support Timor-Leste in attracting a funding partner to develop Greater Sunrise, or, if that did not happen, China could come to support the project.
Bracks was one of the most critical voices of Australian spying on Timor-Leste in 2004 during negotiations with Dili over what would eventually become the Timor Sea Treaty.
Steve Bracks, who has visited Timor-Leste more than 40 times since the restoration of independence in 2002, is considered one of the country’s greatest friends in Australian politics, having directly and pro Bono supported the Timorese Government on several occasions.
His own online page notes that his interest in Timor-Leste began when he was head of the Government of the state of Victoria, having visited Dili in 2002 and 2003, in the latter case to support the opening of the Balibo House Trust, in the border village where five Australian journalists were killed by Indonesian soldiers in October 1975.
When Xanana Gusmão took over as prime minister in August 2007, a month after Bracks resigned as head of government in Victoria, the Labor politician offered additional support for Timor-Leste.
With a donation from the philanthropist Harold Mitchell, the Bracks Timor-Leste Governance Project was born, within which he visited Timor-Leste more than 40 times as a special adviser to Xanana Gusmão and, later, to his successor, Rui Maria de Araújo.
Australian writer and researcher Kim McGrath, author of the book “Passar dos Limites – The Secret History of Australia in the Timor Sea”, has managed the project since its inception.
Among other initiatives, the project contributed to the draft of the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030, having also supported Timor-Leste in the process of negotiating a permanent maritime border with Australia.
