One week ago, public servant and refugee advocate Vikki Riley lay on a hospital bed fighting for life after a terrible accident. She passed away a few hours later. I wrote a brief piece on her tragic end.

On Wednesday afternoon last Democratic Labor Party Senator for Victoria John Madigan and South Australian independent Senator Nick Xenophon proposed a motion to the Senate:

That the Senate—

(a) expresses its condolence at the death of Ms Vikki Riley who passed away on 10 September 2012 and extends this condolence particularly to her partner and son, as well as family, friends and those she campaigned tirelessly for;

(b) notes her advocacy on behalf of refugees and the people of West Papua and East Timor; and

(c) acknowledges her work with refugees and the people of West Papua and East Timor.

So far so good. It looked like we were headed for one of those sublime and all-too-rare moments in a democracy when a citizen who worked long, hard and far from any limelight for the voiceless and unrecognised is given her due credit. The Senate at its best.

Senator Madigan made a short statement in support of the motion:

“Vikki Riley was a tireless campaigner for those in most need. She campaigned for refugees and oppressed people of other nations. Vikki was a woman of many talents. She worked as a journalist for the ABC Victoria and the Kabul Press. She was an artist and used her love of painting to organise art workshops to help asylum seekers as they waited for their cases to be processed.

“Only last month, she organised a successful detainee art exhibition at the Northern Territory Supreme Court. She continued to assist refugees after they were released from detention, helping them to find accommodation and jobs.

“Vikki was adopted by Aboriginal parents in Kallista, Victoria. Her adopted parents retained her surname after the adoption. Her partner, Jimmy Hatton, said this situation made her unique. She loved her partner and her son deeply, but she spent enormous time away from her loved ones to help those most in need.”

But Madigan’s condolence motion fell to the floor under a torrent of “noes” from the government and opposition benches. Why? Well it seems that the mention of two words — “West Papua” — was so offensive that neither the government nor the opposition could not tolerate them being recorded in the Hansard.

It is not recorded in the Hansard but over at Don’t Say These Words they reckon that NT Country Liberal Party Senator Nigel Scullion, also deputy leader of the National Party, “walked over to Senator Madigan and said that the Liberal-National Coalition would vote in favour of the condolence motion if the words ‘West Papua’ were removed”. Northern Territory Labor Senator Trish Crossin led the charge against the motion:

“I want to place on the record that Vikki Riley is a constituent of mine in the Northern Territory. It is true that she worked tirelessly to assist people seeking refugee status in our country and most recently, of course, with the Hazaras at the Darwin Airport Lodge. I place on record my deepest sympathies to her partner and to her son.

“I understand the government will not be supporting this motion because of her involvement with West Papua, in that it is in conflict with our foreign policy. I want to be absolutely clear that I place on record my support for her family and my recognition of her work for refugees at this very sad time.”