Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

As I think Senator Chandler would know, the Prime Minister announced yesterday—with the director-general of ASIO, me and the home affairs minister—that, as a result of painstaking work by our security agencies and law enforcement agencies, we have identified that at least two of the antisemitic attacks in Australia in recent times, the Adass Israel synagogue and Lewis' Continental Kitchen, were orchestrated by the IRGC. Our judgement as a consequence of that was that we had to take the unprecedented action of expelling the ambassador and that, in response to this, which did cross the line, we would list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation—which, as you know, requires legislative amendment.

I would make the point, Senator Chandler, that, first, even before we took this action yesterday, our government has taken stronger action against Iran than any previous Australian government. I would make the point that the government of which Senator Cash and others were a part did nothing in relation to further sanctions. We have placed some 200 sanctions on both Iranian and IRGC entities and individuals. I would also make the point that we were part of the push to remove Iran from the UN body in relation to the elimination of discrimination against women. They took that position whilst the coalition were in government, so I look forward to bipartisan support for this legislation. (Time expired)