Australia 'will never step away from seeking justice' for MH17 families: Morrison

Australia has requested the Russian Federation begin negotiations about reparations now the country has been found responsible for the downing of MH17.

Scott Morrison says knowing the truth about what happened to flight MH17 is important for the sake of the affected families.

Scott Morrison says knowing the truth about what happened to flight MH17 is important for the sake of the affected families. Source: AAP

The federal government has called for Russia to admit to its involvement in the downing of flight MH17 at the very least, for the sake of the Australians killed.

President Vladimir Putin was quick to deny any responsibility under international law after Australia and the Netherlands blamed Russia for the July 17, 2014 incident.

A joint investigation team on Thursday released findings that a Russian missile was used to shoot down the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine.

The plane was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was blown out of the sky, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 38 Australians.

"It's important for the sake of honesty, and for the sake of the families and the Australians whose lives were lost, that the truth is called out," Treasurer Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.

"The Australian government will never step away from seeking that justice."




Australia and the Netherlands have requested talks with Russia in the hope of getting it to acknowledge and accept responsibility for its "undoubted role" in the plane's downing.

They will also be seeking compensation for the families of the victims, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says.

"These will be confidential negotiations but what we're seeking is justice for the victims and their families," she told ABC TV on Saturday.

"We'll continue to consider all options with our partners and the international community to ensure that Russia's conduct is called out as being utterly unacceptable."

Asked whether she feared Russia might ban Australia from this year's soccer World Cup over this issue, or if Australia should boycott the event, Ms Bishop said they were "entirely separate matters".

"The government won't interfere in the football federation's decisions in relation to the World Cup," she said.

Mr Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Friday said Russia had been barred from the investigation and thus could not trust its results.

Scott Morrison says knowing the truth about what happened to flight MH17 is important for the sake of the affected families.
Scott Morrison says knowing the truth about what happened to flight MH17 is important for the sake of the affected families. Source: AAP


The Russian defence ministry claimed the missile "more than likely" came from a Ukrainian arsenal as the fragments displayed by investigators indicated the Soviet-made missile was produced in 1986.

It said the Russian military decommissioned all missiles of that type in 2011.

The European Union and NATO have also urged Russia to admit its role in the attack.

"The European Union calls on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility and to fully co-operate with all efforts to establish accountability," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said those responsible for the "global tragedy" must be held accountable.


Share
3 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world