Document no. 40
Preamble
Senator Janet Rice, an ardent supporter of the cause of Tibet, was born on November 18, 1960 in Altona, Australia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne. In 1983, she participated in protests against the Franklin Dam project. Within a decade, she became one of the founding members of the Greens political party in Victoria. For over 30 years, she has been an activist fighting for social justice and global environmental causes. In 2014, she was elected as a Greens party Senator. As a councilor and mayor of Maribyrnong City in western Melbourne, she involved citizens in city council decision-making processes and became a leader in spearheading initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and campaigns to combat global warming.
Senator Rice is committed to creating a caring society, an equitable economy, and a clean environment. She has consistently questioned the government’s inadequate income support for the poor. She has also served as co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine and chair of the Senate Public Affairs Research Committee. She is also a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet and has been a strong advocate for Tibet through initiatives like Tibet Advocacy Day in Parliament.
From June 22-23, 2022, during the 8th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet held in Washington D.C., Senator Rice spoke on the panel titled “Democracy’s Relevance and Challenges in Today’s World”. She was also a member of the drafting committee for the convention declaration. After returning to Australia, she spoke in the Australian Parliament about the 8th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet on August 2, 2022. She urged Australian parliamentarians to meet with Tibet advocates on Tibet Advocacy Day, stressing that Tibet is illegally occupied by the Chinese Communist government and should not be recognized as part of China. She called for parliamentarians to work together to resolve the Tibet-China conflict through peaceful dialogue without preconditions and to take concerted action to ensure that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetan community have the right to recognize His Holiness’s future reincarnation.
During the Tibet Lobby Day campaign in Australia from November 21-22, 2022, Senator Rice spoke in the Senate, acknowledging the presence of the Tibetan advocacy delegation. She underscored the importance of Tibet Lobby Day urging fellow senators to meet with the Tibetan delegates and advocates. She explained how Tibetan religion, culture, language, and people are at risk of erasure under Chinese rule. She stated that the Australian government should oppose Chinese interference in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of reincarnation and that she would continue to raise this issue in Parliament through all available means.
On November 30, 2022, coinciding with the Australian spring parliamentary session, Senator Warren Entsch, Senator Susan Templeman, and Senator Janet Rice of the Australian All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet convened a meeting of group members. They discussed raising Tibet issues when China-related matters are discussed in Parliament and efforts to increase membership in the parliamentary Tibet support group.
On April 17, 2023, a delegation of Australian parliamentarians led by Deputy Speaker of the House Sharon Claydon visited Dharamsala for three days to express support and solidarity for Tibet and learn about the situation of the Tibetan exile community. Senator Janet Rice was part of this delegation. They met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Sikyong, and other key figures in the Central Tibetan Administration.
On April 18, they visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and met with the Speakers and Standing Committee members. Senator Rice has also met with Tibetan Parliament delegations during their various advocacy visits to Australia. Although Senator Rice has decided not to run for re-election and will no longer serve as a parliamentarian after April 19 this year, she has been a strong and consistent supporter of the Tibetan cause. Therefore, this House deems it appropriate to express gratitude to her by passing this resolution.
Resolution
- Senator Janet Rice as an Australian Senator, is a leader in the struggle for social justice and global environmental protection for over 30 years, an advocate for the environment, economy, and support for the poor, as well as a member of the Australian All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet. Through Tibet Advocacy Day and other means, she has consistently raised the matter of Tibet in Parliament and we recognize her as a trusted friend and supporter of Tibet for many years.
- We commend Senator Rice for her sincere and courageous efforts as an Australian Senator to repeatedly raise issues related to Tibet in the Australian Senate, calling for resolving issues through Sino-Tibetan dialogue and urging an end to harsh policies in Tibet, thereby giving hope and encouragement to Tibet’s just cause in the face of the critical situation resulting from various brutal policies implemented by the Chinese Communist government since its occupation of Tibet.
- On behalf of all Tibetans in Tibet and exile, we express our deepest gratitude to Senator Rice for her unwavering support for Tibet’s just cause. We wish her good health, success in all her noble aspirations, and hope she will continue to support the Tibetan cause. And so be it adopted according with the unanimous approval of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on September 19, 2024.
This resolution was unanimously adopted by the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile during its 8th session on September 19, 2024.