Australia echoes global demand for Russian to pay for MH17 flight downing
More than a decade has passed since the Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on-board.
Despite extensive official and journalist-led investigations putting the blame firmly on the Russian government, the Kremlin has not paid a cent in compensation, including to the families of the 38 Australians killed.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said overnight that 'Australia stands ready to engage'.
'The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council has ordered Russia to negotiate with Australia and the Netherlands on full reparations for the downing of Flight MH17,' she posted on social media.
'We welcome this decision, and Australia stands ready to engage.
'We call on Russia to comply and make reparations for this horrific act.
'We remain unwavering in our commitment to truth, justice and accountability for the 298 victims – including 38 who called Australia home – and their families and loved ones.'
Earlier this year, ICAO declared Russia breached international law by using weapons against civil aircraft in flight.
Australia and the Netherlands, which led the international investigation, launched the case with ICAO in 2022.
Investigators have found MH17 was shot down using a Russian-made missile.
It was fired from a launcher transported from Russia to eastern Ukraine and operated by pro-Russian separatists.
In 2022, a Dutch court convicted in absentia two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist of murder in 2022.
One of the men, Igor Girkin, was the head of Russia's proxies in the mostly occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
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"First of all I'd like to thank my family for the support they've given — I hope one day to be able to repay them," said the then-54-year-old, who was candid about the challenge ahead of him. In a tragic turn of events, Phil Walsh, 55, died from multiple stab wounds after a domestic dispute at his Somerton Park home in the early hours of July 3. His son, 26-year-old Cy Walsh, was charged with murder. Cy Walsh was later found not guilty of murder by reason of mental incompetence, with a judge determining that he had been suffering a psychotic episode as a result of undiagnosed schizophrenia. But in the immediate aftermath of Phil Walsh's death, legal proceedings seemed almost an afterthought. Instead, one of the most noticeable and spontaneous effects of the shock was the solidarity it induced between the Crows and Power supporter bases. Usually the most bitter of rivals, both felt the blow directly and personally. South Australia is a place where football matters, and Adelaide is the archetypal two-team town. Melbourne has nine clubs (or 10, including Geelong), and the media's gaze is divided between all of them accordingly. But in Adelaide, where both local sides are subjected to almost perpetual attention, the smaller size of the population has at times seemed to intensify fans' feelings of connection to the teams and their players. The death of Test cricketer and South Australian state team player Phil Hughes during a Sheffield Shield match the previous spring had triggered national as well as international mourning, and the #PutOutYourBats social media trend in honour of the fallen prodigy had spread around the world. But Walsh's tragedy was, in a sense, Adelaide's own. "I got a phone call at 3:30am from the police to say that a tragedy had unfolded and that it involved Phil Walsh, our coach," said Crows chairman Rob Chapman at the time. "That's a phone call no-one ever wants to get." Inspired by #PutOutYourBats, local football fans embraced a #ScarvesOutForWalshy campaign. When the state's then-premier Jay Weatherill paid his respects, he very deliberately acknowledged the impact of the grief on both Adelaide teams. He singled out supporters of the Crows but made a point of extending that sympathy to "everyone who has associated with Phil throughout his career, including his time at the Port Adelaide Football Club". Further indications of the shared sense of loss were the floral and other tributes that were piled outside the Crows' West Lakes headquarters. Among the flowers, sympathy cards and memorabilia, the team's red, yellow and blue could clearly be seen mingling with the Port's black, white and teal. Nine months earlier, when he had cheekily revealed Walsh's move to the Crows, David Koch had done so in his capacity as a TV personality. Now, amid the flowing tributes, he spoke with statesmanlike dignity. "Phil was a much-loved friend of the Port Adelaide Football Club, having played an instrumental role in our 2004 Premiership campaign," Koch said solemnly. "Equally, our thoughts and prayers are with the players, coaches and staff of the Adelaide Football Club." A decade on, Power coach Ken Hinkley retains fond and vivid memories of Walsh both on and off the field, and this week spoke of his "knowledge and the brilliance of his mind, which was amazing in a football sense". "The players who played under Phil would say there was no stone unturned when it came to being ready to play football, and I'm sure the blokes who had him at the Crows as well, in a short period of time, would all say exactly the same," Hinkley said on Wednesday. "It's a sad moment that he's not with us, clearly." Distinctions are often made between sport and the so-called serious things in life. Football is indeed a game, but it isn't only a game, and the reaction to the loss of Phil Walsh remains proof of that fact. But it is proof of a kind that South Australian football fans hope never to encounter again.
