His Holiness the Dalai Lama Concludes Visits With Message Of Peace Through JusticeThursday, 10 December 2009, 12:11 p.m.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addresses a large Australian and international audience on the 20th anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize, in Melbourne on 10 December 2009/photograph by Rusty Stewart

Melbourne: His
Holiness the Dalai Lama has wrapped-up his eleven-day visit to
Australia and New Zealand, spending his final day in Melbourne. Today,
International Human Rights Day, marked twenty years since His Holiness
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.The day began with a
breakfast function organized by Australia Tibet Council and Amnesty
International to celebrate the anniversary and give His Holiness the
opportunity to address an influential Australian and international
audience.The event, titled “Peace Through Justice”, saw His
Holiness share the stage with Prof. Larissa Behrendt, a prominent
indigenous Australian. The event focussed on the importance of truth,
justice and respect for human rights in the lasting resolution of
conflict.After a traditional indigenous “Welcome to Country”
Professor Larissa Behrendt spoke about the ongoing plight of
Australia’s indigenous people. Prof. Behrendt highlighted the ongoing
voicelessness, exclusion, insecurity and deprivation of aboriginal
Australians and the universal right to freedom from poverty.In
a half-hour address His Holiness discussed the situation facing many of
the world’s indigenous peoples, expressing particular sadness at the
conditions facing indigenous Australians. Nonetheless, with his
ever-hopeful, practical and forward-looking perspective, His Holiness
spoke of the enormous gains in human rights protection over the last
century and urged all minority and indigenous peoples to make extra
efforts to preserve their identity and culture.The celebration
of His Holiness’s Nobel Peace Prize anniversary continued with a
felicitation by the Han-Tibetan Friendship Association. In the company
of several Federal Parliamentarians and other dignitaries, over five
hundred Tibetans and Chinese took part in an elaborate felicitation
featuring speeches and cultural performances.His Holiness then
met with members of the Australian All-Party Parliamentary Group for
Tibet, who presented him with a report on their recent activities in
support of Tibet.In the final event of His Holiness’s
Australian visit and rounding-off a series of public talks on the theme
of responsibility, His Holiness addressed several thousand Melbournians
on the theme of “World Peace: Who is Responsible?”–Report filed by Simon Bradshaw, Australia Tibet Council