Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think it's really important that we conduct this debate with grace, and I have no intention of demeaning this debate by responding to some pretty poor comments from the previous speaker. What I do want to do, though, is thank the member for Menzies for putting this motion to the House. He is of course my neighbour in our adjoining seats in Melbourne.

The human rights situation in Iran is dire, and I want to speak in support of the Australian Iranian community. We know how appalling and horrifying the situation is, and I know how deeply it affects the Iranian community that call Chisholm home. More than a thousand Australian Iranian people live in Chisholm. Long before I became a member in this place, I stood in solidarity with the Iranian people. I have stood in solidarity with Iranian people for years, attending many events over the years. I've long had friends from Iran who have shared with me pretty horrifying stories and who have lived through some things that I would not imagine anyone should have to live through. I will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran against the brutality of the Iranian regime, today and every day. I really want to acknowledge that many people in our community, many people who I know and care about deeply in the diaspora community, carry trauma with them. I really want to acknowledge the courage that they've shown in sharing their stories with me and with other members of this House.

Our government stands in solidarity with the Iranian people in their brave struggle against oppression. We condemn the Iranian regime's agenda of violence against its own people and will continue calling on Iran on the international stage to protect the rights of its citizens to peaceful protest.

Our government has taken stronger action to hold the Iranian regime to account than any other Australian government to date. We've bolstered our autonomous sanctions framework to target those involved in oppression inside Iran, including against women and girls. In 2022, we were at the forefront of international efforts to remove Iran from the Commission for the Status of Women, and we co-sponsored the successful Human Rights Council resolution establishing an independent investigation into human rights violations in Iran.

In an unprecedented diplomatic step, we've declared Iran's ambassador to Australia, along with three other officials, persona non grata. They've been expelled and we have withdrawn Australia's ambassador to Iran. We've also sanctioned more than 200 Iran-linked persons and entities, including more than 100 IRGC-linked individuals and entities.

Since 3 February, we have imposed further targeted financial sanctions on Iran and have taken this action in coordination with our international partners, including the UK and the EU. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that our sanctions have the maximum impact. Those sanctioned under our further financial sanctions include senior officials and entities of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This builds on the Australian government's listing of the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism. The IRGC are complicit in the oppression of the Iranian people. They continue to violently suppress domestic protests and threaten lives in and outside of Iran.

I will not stop, and I know this Labor government will not stop, fighting for the Iranian people. The killing of protesters must end, arbitrary arrests must end, telecommunications blackouts must end, and the blatant human rights abuses must end.

To the Australian Iranian community in my electorate of Chisholm and across the country, I have one message: know that you are not alone. During this time, we share your horror at the events in Iran and we understand that you may be distressed by the actions of the Iranian regime, but know that we will always support you. As a personal commitment, my door is always open to members of the Iranian Australian community in my electorate of Chisholm. It has always been a pleasure to work alongside them, and I look forward to continuing to do so even in these darkest of days.

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