Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the human rights situation in Iran remains of grave concern, including reports of the Iranian regime engaging in repression, violence against protestors, arbitrary arrests and communications blackouts;

(b) many members of the Iranian Australian community are deeply distressed by the actions of the Iranian regime; and

(c) the Australian Government condemns the actions of the Iranian regime and affirms Australia's support for the people of Iran in their struggle for freedom, democracy and human rights;

(2) recognises that:

(a) the Australian Government has taken strong action to hold those responsible for human rights abuses in Iran to account, including targeted sanctions on more than 200 Iranian individuals and entities and more than 100 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) linked individuals and entities, as well as listing the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism;

(b) the Australian Government's most recent sanctions target senior officials and entities linked to the IRGC complicit in oppressing the Iranian people, violently suppressing domestic protests, and threatening lives both inside and outside Iran; and

(c) Australia has taken significant diplomatic steps, including:

(i) the expulsion of the Iranian Ambassador; and

(ii) leadership in international efforts to hold Iran accountable through the United Nations; and

(3) affirms its:

(a) solidarity with the people of Iran; and

(b) ongoing commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights and democratic freedoms.

I stand today and move this motion to affirm the House's support for the Iranian people in their brave struggle for freedom, democracy and human rights and against the Iranian regime's repression of and brutal violence against its own people. I'd like to acknowledge the members from across the parliament speaking in support of the motion and. in particular, my friend the member for Bennelong, who has long been an advocate for the Iranian people and the Iranian community in his electorate.

I'm honoured to represent a strong and proud Iranian community in Melbourne's east, in suburbs around Doncaster, Bulleen and Templestowe, to name a few. They are our friends, our neighbours, our children's classmates, our parents at school pick-up and our small-business owners. They share with us the richness and beauty of Iranian culture through the Persian Fair at Box Hill and the fire festival in Ruffey Lake Park.

Since December last year, when the protests started, I have been in contact with many members of the community and community leaders. As well, I attended a rally on the steps of the Victorian state parliament. I'd particularly like to acknowledge House of Persia and the Australian Iranian Society of Victoria for the support they have been providing to their communities in this deeply distressing time.

As you would expect, people's primary fears are for family and loved ones in Iran. But there is also fear for their compatriots and the country they love. This distress has been made all the worse by the regime's blackout of the internet and telecommunications to hide their atrocities and for the uncertainty it brings. As one member of our community, Sarnevaz, put it:

Many of us are living with constant fear and distress. We are cut off from reliable news from our families in Iran. We wake up every day not knowing if our loved ones are safe, able to communicate or even alive. This emotional weight does not stay at home. We carry it into our work, our parenting and our daily lives as Australians trying to cope and function while our hearts are elsewhere.

We are devastated, exhausted and grieving. Yet we continue to show up, contribute and hold ourselves together.

The communications blackout has meant the Iranian community has had to rely on social media or, when they can get through, firsthand accounts from their relatives and loved ones.

The reports coming out of Iran are truly horrific. Conservative estimates are that the regime has killed several thousand people, but others say it could be 10 times that. I've been told of the regime leaving bodies displayed in piles in the street to act as a warning to dissenters, of families having to search for hours through body bags to find their loved ones and of people injured in the protests who sought help in hospitals only to be executed.

That is why I am proud to be part of a government that has taken the strongest action against the Iranian regime of any government to date. Last week, we implemented further sanctions against 20 individuals and three entities, including senior officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who have been complicit in violently suppressing protests as well as causing destabilisation in the region and further abroad. This comes on top of sanctions already applied to 200 individuals and entities, including 100 linked to the IRGC. Of course, last year we also expelled the Iranian ambassador and other Iranian officials and listed the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism.

I take this opportunity to say that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is currently conducting a review into the listing of the IRGC. It is an important part of the parliamentary process that occurs with the listing of any organisation. Public hearings will be held shortly. Those who have already made written submissions, as well as members of the public, may request to appear. I'd encourage organisations and communities in my electorate to do so. You are welcome to get in touch with my office for any details about how to go about that.

As I have said before and will say again, the Australian government stands with the Iranian people in their struggle for their democratic and human rights and freedoms. We call on the Iranian regime to stop these brutal, repressive actions against their own people.

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