Andrew Bragg (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is very regrettable that our world has become very dangerous in 2026, but the actions taken by the Iranian government against their own people over the last almost 50 years have been some of the greatest atrocities in history. The death of the Ayatollah Khamenei is a good thing for humanity, and this man deserves to rank with the great villains of history like Hitler and Pol Pot. Anyone who has the privilege and honour of meeting with the Iranian Australian community would know what a terrible intergenerational impact this theocracy has had on the freedoms of the people of Iran, particularly on women. That human impact should be considered by all those in this building who comment about his current conflict.

Of course Iran has also been a terrible actor. It has spawned a whole bunch of terrible proxies, who have launched attacks across the globe, including in our own country, Australia. So what we want to see now is maximum pressure placed on the regime so that it crumbles. We want the regime to crumble, we want freedom to come to Iran and we think that is a laudable objective. In fact, it's probably the best thing we could do for humanity right now.

It was a privilege to be able to meet with members of the Iranian Australian community on Sunday afternoon in Sydney and listen to their stories. They are excited about the opportunities ahead for the people of Iran. They are hopeful that freedom will come. They're hopeful their suffering will end. It is revolting to see members of the Australian community honour the ayatollah today; it's outrageous.