Matt Gregg (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. What action has the Albanese Labor government taken to support the women from the Iranian women's soccer team?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Deakin for the question, acknowledge his advocacy for the Iranian Australian community in his electorate and also acknowledge the support of all members of the House in solidarity, in particular, with the Iranian women's soccer team. Last night, I travelled to Brisbane and Sydney to make sure that, if anybody from the team were considering taking up the government's offer to remain in Australia, I would be able to meet with them so they weren't in a situation where officials had to answer some of their questions by saying, 'That's a matter for the minister.' I would be there in person to be able to answer those questions.

Before I left, two people from the team—one team member and one support person—had made contact with my officials, saying that they did want to stay in Australia. At that point, they were separated from the rest of the group. When I arrived at Brisbane Airport, they'd been taken to the AFP centre, which is not far from there, to be able to meet with me. I took them through what their options were. They both indicated that they would like to stay in Australia. I told them on behalf of all of us that they would be safe here, they were welcome here and they would be at home here, and I issued them with humanitarian visas. I then travelled to Sydney. While I travelled to Sydney, those two were reunited with the other five who'd already made that decision.

When I travelled to Sydney—and we would have seen the scenes of the team being moved towards an international flight—we wanted to make sure that every individual had a chance to talk to my officials without anyone else from the group with them. There was a small number of people who we had no intention of making an offer to. For the remaining people, we took them individually. If they wanted to contact family, they could contact family, and we made sure that did happen. There was actually some assistance with phone numbers across the aisle, which I want to acknowledge as well. Nobody in Sydney took up that offer but, importantly, all of them were without the pressure of other people watching them while making that decision. Now, I'm not naive. Nothing we did could take away the pressure of the context in which they were making that decision.

Today, shortly after 10 o'clock, I was advised that one of the two who had made the decision to stay last night had spoken to some of their team mates who had left and had changed her mind. In Australia, people are able to change their minds, people are able to travel, so we respect the context in which she has made that decision. Unfortunately, in making that decision, she'd been advised by her team mates and coach to contact the Iranian embassy to get collected. My officials made sure that this was her decision, and every question you would want asked was asked. As a result, it meant that the Iranian embassy now knew the location of where everybody was. I immediately gave the instruction for people to be moved, and that was dealt with immediately.

Can I simply say, and I know I'm out of time, that every member of this delegation has been shown a respect by Australia that would be unfamiliar to them in Iran. They have been shown a country that is willing to say the choice is theirs. And I think we can all be very proud of the Australian Federal Police, of my Home Affairs officials, of everybody who's been involved in this to make sure that Australia is a country where they can see there is freedom of choice for women as well, and a country where those who have made the decision to stay will be very welcome, and that very much the rest of the Australian people will be wrapping them in our arms.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To associate his remarks to support the minister, the Leader of the Opposition.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do associate the opposition with the remarks made by the minister. I support the decisions and the work of the minister on this important issue. As I said yesterday, these women have captured the hearts of so many Australians with the stand they have taken against a despotic regime and it's been an incredibly difficult time for them. I thank the minister for the work he's done. As the minister knows, there are a number on this side of the House who have been working hard to try to achieve this outcome as well. I do wish all the soccer players, whatever their choice was, the very, very best.