Pat Walsh was active on human rights in East Timor, Indonesia and the region for some three decades, including as director of the ACFOA Human Rights office in Melbourne. In this capacity, he collected and disseminated information on a range of policy and country-specific issues, including the Santa Cruz massacre in Dili, and, supported by ACFOA, lobbied in Australia and the international community for East Timorese self-determination. He witnessed East Timor's historic 1999 referendum then relocated to Dili to help set up and advise the CAVR truth commission and its successor organisations. He is currently an adviser to the Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC) and an adviser to CHART, the Diplomacy Training Program and Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR).