Steps for reaching out:
Get to know the person you’re reaching out to by reading the introduction and talking points on the right.
Pick up the phone, or hit the e-mail button, and reach out!
Introduce yourself first: What’s your name, where do you live, why are you reaching out?
Make your point: Why do you hope Senator Payne will support the adoption of a Global Magnitsky Act in Australia?
Offer hope, inspiration, and encouragement -- angry demands usually don’t work.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne is the key decision maker on whether or not an Australian Magnitsky Act makes it into Parliament. Minister Payne requested a Committee inquiry to determine if Australia should adopt its own version of a Global Magnitsky Act. She will soon decide if her ministry of Foreign Affairs will indeed develop the legislation and table it in Parliament -- or not.
In a speech last year, Ms Payne said “it’s in Australia’s interest to speak out against abuses of power, such as the treatment of Uyghur in Xinjiang” and that China must be held to account for human rights abuses.
She has also spoken out for Yang Hengjun, an Australian pro-democracy activist who has been detained in Beijing, and she vowed that the government would continue to stand up for the rights of all Australians.
Connecting with Minister Payne on this issue:
Express gratefulness for her firm stance against the ongoing human rights abuses in China.
Encourage her to use her influential position as Foreign Minister to ensure support for an Australian Magnitsky Act in Parliament.
The Global Magnitsky Act is a valuable tool in combating human rights abuses and gross corruption across the globe.
Australia cannot allow human rights abusers and money launderers to abuse Australia as a safe haven; not as a tourist destination, nor to hide their dirty money.
Adopting the Global Magnitsky Act helps Australia to uphold its commitment to the rule of law and protect all Australians.
