Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Minister Watt. Two weeks ago the Canadian government listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity, joining our security and intelligence partner, the United States, in confirming that the IRGC is a terrorist organisation actively involved in planning and carrying out terror attacks. Minister, if the Trudeau government can act to list the IRGC, why can't the Albanese government?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Chandler. The short answer, as you've been informed previously when you've asked similar questions, is that the Australian government relies on the advice of Australian security agencies when making decisions about terrorist listings.

As Senator Chandler and many of her colleagues have been advised in many previous question times, from the government's point of view, the IRGC is a malignant actor that has long been a threat to international security. The Gillard government understood this and put broad based sanctions on the IRGC as a whole in 2010. The Albanese government has also recognised the threat that they present. That's why we are using the tools available to us to take meaningful action, including sanctioning 63 IRGC linked individuals and 56 IRGC linked entities.

Again, as Senator Chandler, Senator Paterson and various others on that side of the chamber know, listings under the Criminal Code apply to non-state actors and not to state actors. That was exactly the same regime that applied when they were in government. But now they don't want to follow the same process as they followed when they were in government; they want to apply a different standard and different tests to what they were prepared to do when they were the government. These are exactly the same listing provisions that applied when those opposite were in government, and they have not changed.

The reality is that the IRGC is a part of the Iranian state, and state actors under Australian law cannot be listed as terrorist organisations.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) | Link to this | Hansard source

Change the law.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) | Link to this | Hansard source

So what I've heard coming from some of those opposite is a bit rich. We just heard Senator Scarr say, 'Change the law.' He was here for a few years. Did he change the law? No, he didn't. But he and his colleagues just want to sit back now and take cheap shots at a government that is following exactly the same process that they did when they were in office, and they do everything possible to avoid talking about cost-of-living changes, including those that come into force today, 1 July. They will do anything to avoid talking about tax cuts and cost-of-living relief, even asking questions about things they did nothing about in office. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chandler, first supplementary?

Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, at Senate estimates it was confirmed that in January 2023 the Department of Home Affairs was developing a nomination form and statement of reasons in preparation for a listing of the IRGC. What are the reasons the Department of Home Affairs was seeking to have the IRGC listed as a terrorist organisation in January 2023?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Chandler. All I can do is repeat my previous answer, which is that, in making its decision about terrorist listings, the Albanese government relies on the advice of our security agencies. But it is very well understood under this government, as it was under the previous government, that terrorist listings are not applied to state actors such as the IRGC. The Albanese government has no time whatsoever for the IRGC. That is why we have imposed sanctions on 63 IRGC linked individuals and 56 linked entities. We are following the same process as applied under the former government, and they never seemed to have a problem when they were in government.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chandler, second supplementary?

Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

The IRGC not only are perpetrators of terrorism but are known to use extremist antisemitic ideology to recruit and spread hatred—hatred which is spreading in the Australian community. Minister, will the government today finally commit to developing options to enable the IRGC to be listed as a terrorist organisation?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) | Link to this | Hansard source

My understanding is that the opposition have actually been briefed on these very issues that they are now asking questions about in question time. I agree with Senator Chandler in one respect, and that is when she says that the IRGC is a malignant actor. It is a dreadful organisation that we do not support in any way whatsoever. But the opposition had no issues about this process when they were in government, when they had 10 years to do something about the process. But all of a sudden—they're now in opposition—they want to apply a different standard to the government.

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

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.