Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to begin by saying how immensely proud I am to represent the third-largest Persian community in the country. I'm proud of their passion not only for our country, Australia, but for their friends, their family and the fellow countrymen that they've left behind in Iran. I share their dream, the dream that one day the darkness will lift and we will be able to see a free, democratic Iran emerge.

Right now, the United States and the Iranian regime are in peace talks in Switzerland, with a 60-day negotiation underway towards a lasting agreement. Australia wants to see peace in the Middle East. But we shouldn't be naive about who sits on the other side of that table, because, at the very moment that this regime tries desperately to present itself to the world as a partner for peace, it continues to show us exactly what it is: a regime that waged war on our own country, Australia, in a violent firebombing campaign which shook our community for months. This is a regime that rapes, beheads and massacres its own people, including children and pregnant women. Days ago, an Iranian court sentenced a young singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, to 74 lashes. Her crime was singing a patriotic song without wearing a hijab in a video she shared online. Parastoo is 29 years old. Her aunt lives in Dural, in my electorate. Members of my own community know her. They've spoken with her and fear deeply for her.

When our parliament and this government make decisions about Iran, we must make those decisions on the best information available. Few people across the world understand the truth of this regime better than Reza Pahlavi. He spent decades advocating for a free, secular and democratic Iran. He has immense credibility with the Persian diaspora, which I've seen firsthand as I've met with the community. Just as in earlier times with different conflicts—we had people like Desmond Tutu coming to talk to us about South Africa and Xanana Gusmao and Jose Ramos-Horta talk to us about East Timor, pre-independence—Australia needs to hear the voice of Reza Pahlavi, and this parliament does too. He's been welcomed in the US, the UK, France, Israel and Germany.

A few weeks ago I launched a petition calling on the government to invite Reza Pahlavi to Australia. More than 1,500 people have signed it in the past two weeks. Let me share just a few of those comments: 'The government needs to invite Reza Pahlavi as a gesture of support and goodwill for the Australian Persian community. Given his growing international profile and the strong support he receives, such a visit would be highly meaningful.' 'Inviting Reza Pahlavi to Australia is a great step towards a peaceful Middle East.' 'Reza Pahlavi should be invited as a guest of our parliament so he can share his own understanding of the regime with us and meet the Persian community here who've waited so long to welcome him.'

Freedom from a regime like Iran's is never handed over; it's won when enough people refuse to stay quiet. So today I make a simple ask: sign the petition, add your name and share it with the community. I'll keep collecting signatures and making the case for as long as it takes, because Iran will one day be free. And I want Australia to be remembered as a country that stood on the right side of history with the free Iranian people.