Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Good on you, Senator Ciccone! Good on you! I, too, rise in solidarity with the people of Iran. I stand with the courageous people of Iran, who are seeking peace, freedom and democracy. I stand with the courageous people of Iran who are being massacred and slaughtered by their own government—an evil regime, an odious regime who have suppressed human rights and supported terrorism around the world.

Last Saturday in Brisbane, at Reddacliff Place, I was honoured to speak at a rally with thousands of Queenslanders. Members of the Iranian Australian community and their fellow Australians were raising their voices against the brutality of the Iranian regime. The first rally I attended at that place in Brisbane with the Iranian Australian community was following the murder of Jina Amini, which led to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. I was with our Iranian Australian community again last Saturday in solidarity with them.

Following the death of Jina Amini, I called for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp to be declared a terrorist organisation. Why? Because it is a terrorist organisation! Ultimately, the government declared it a terrorist organisation. And what we've seen in Iran since late December with the actions of the IRGC, the actions of the Iranian regime, underlines how the IRGC is a terrorist organisation committing terror against its own people—thousands and thousands massacred in the most despicable circumstances, an atrocity that will live in the memory of all freedom-loving people in the world.

I do call upon the Australian government to continue to apply sanctions, to apply more sanctions, to apply more economic pressure upon the Iranian government. I call on them to use our voice in every single international forum to call for freedom and democracy for the people of Iran, and to call for the violence to end, for the prisoners to be released and for peace to be restored for the people of Iran.

I also call for the Australian government to use all the resources of our security agencies to protect our Iranian Australian diaspora. I've heard again and again, and I heard it earlier this evening, the concerns of the Iranian Australian diaspora that they are being threatened, they are being intimidated by agents of the IRGC, agents of the Iranian regime, here in Australia. I say to our Iranian Australian diaspora: an attack on you is an attack on me. I say: an attack on you is an attack on the values represented by this Australian parliament. It cannot be tolerated. As an Australian people, as an Australian government, we must stand shoulder to shoulder with our Iranian Australian diaspora and give them the safety they deserve.

Our wonderful Iranian Australian diaspora has shown great courage in standing up for human rights in Iran. I stand in solidarity with our wonderful Iranian Australian community. I know many of you have been persecuted, intimidated and your families threatened. I know you are concerned about your loved ones. But please know that we in this place, in the Australian parliament, are standing with you. We will make sure your voices are heard.

Today the Reserve Bank of Australia lifted interest rates by one-quarter of a per cent to 3.85 per cent. That rise in interest rates is a direct result of the increase in the inflation rate under the Albanese Labor government. So as much as the Labor government wants to point the finger at everyone else, the buck stops with them. The buck stops with the Labor government. The increase in interest rates is a body blow to Australian families with a mortgage. Banks have already started to raise interest rates on mortgages.

In my home state of Queensland, the average mortgage for a new home buyer is $687,000. An extra 0.25 per cent means an extra $1,700 in interest a year after tax. Even before this interest rate increase, the average mortgage holder was $21,000 a year worse off under Labor. And it may not be the only increase, for it's rare for there to be only one increase. Typically, these increases occur in twos and threes and even more. It's a body blow to Australians with mortgages. It's a body blow to Australians who are seeking to enter into the housing market and whose borrowing capacity will be adversely impacted by this interest rate increase. And it's a body blow to Australians who're already suffering under Labor's cost-of-living crisis. Insurance is up 39 per cent, energy prices are up 38 per cent, rent is up 22 per cent, and food is up 16 per cent—body blow after body blow under Labor's cost-of-living crisis. My office is located in the Ipswich region. The people of Ipswich, many new homebuyers, are doing it tough. They're under mortgage stress and rent stress. Labor's crisis is making it so hard to make ends meet in Ipswich. The people of Ipswich deserve better. The people of Australia deserve better.

A week and a half ago, I attended a meeting with the wonderful Kurdish Queensland community. It's a very difficult time for the Kurdish Australian community at this point in time, given what is happening both in Syria and in Iran. I have previously stood in this place on multiple occasions and raised the human rights violations being committed by the Syrian government against minority groups in Syria. I've given speeches in relation to the persecution of the Alawites, Christians and the Druze under the current Syrian government. I now speak for the Kurdish people in Rojava. The Kurdish people in Syria were on the front line against ISIS. Thousands lost their lives. When ISIS spread across Syria and Iraq—committing mass executions, enslaving Yazidi women and destroying entire communities—it was the Kurdish people who held their ground. Kobani became a turning point in the war against ISIS as the Kurdish people held their ground. We've now seen appalling atrocities committed in the Rojava region by Syrian government forces, with the targeting of civilians, enforcement of collective punishment and human rights violations. This must stop, and all those responsible must be held to account.

I saw one of the most disturbing things I've probably ever seen. It was a Syrian government soldier waving the severed braid of hair from a Kurdish woman fighter. He was waving it as a trophy—a severed braid of hair. It was disgusting, it was depraved, and it was despicable. The response of Kurdish women all over the world has been inspiring and courageous. In defiance, Kurdish women all over the world are braiding their hair. I'm inspired by the response of Kurdish women all over the world. We, all freedom loving people, have a moral obligation to the Kurdish people in Syria to stand with them at this point in time. They were on the front line against ISIS. We owe the Kurdish people a moral obligation to stand with them.

At the same time, the Kurdish Australian community is suffering because of the appalling situation in Iran. Of course, Jina Amini, who was killed in 2022 and whose death triggered the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement, was a Kurdish Iranian. Now, in places like Rojhelat, peaceful protests have been met with bullets. Peaceful protesters have been shot down. I stand in solidarity with our Kurdish Australian community. I will make sure your voices are heard in this place.

I was absolutely delighted to attend the opening of the Somali House in Brisbane. We have a wonderful Somali Australian community in Brisbane and they achieved the milestone of opening Somali House in my home state, and it was wonderful to attend. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and Julie-Ann Campbell, the member for Moreton, were there as well. There was a cross-section of representatives from all parties to honour our Somali community as they open Somali House. Somali House has been opened in the Somali community's Australian home. And it is their home. I'd like to congratulate Mr Aweys Hassen Moge, the president of the Somali Community Association of Queensland on this milestone.