Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, millions of people around the world, including here in Australia, marked Nowruz, the Iranian new year, a time of renewal, hope and peace. But, as communities gathered, we have seen a dangerous escalation between Iran and Israel, with missiles, drones, retaliation and civilians caught in the crossfire.

But I also want to be very clear: the Iranian people are not the Islamic Iranian regime. They are a proud, ancient civilisation. They have also shown extraordinary courage in recent years, particularly women leading protests, young people demanding freedom and citizens risking everything to stand against repression.

Too often, however, the distinction is erased in domestic debates. Most consistently, it is erased by those who claim to speak the loudest in the name of peace. What we hear from the Australian Greens and parts of the anti-AUKUS movement is not principled antiwar advocacy; it is selective outrage that is dressed up as morality. They lecture us about militarisation. They oppose AUKUS, claiming it makes Australia less safe. They call for the dismantling of our strategic partnerships without offering any credible alternatives. But when it comes to regimes like that in Tehran—one that jails its own citizens for protesting, crushes dissent and exports instability around the world—moral certainty seems to evaporate. Suddenly, the language also becomes cautious. Outrage becomes optional. This is not antiwar; this is anti-West and anti-Australia. The pattern is unmistakable. When democratic allies act, they condemn; when authoritarian regimes act, they contextualise; when Australia strengthens its defences, they protest; and, when others escalate, they remain silent.

This is not foreign policy; it is an ideological reflex, and it comes at a cost. It sends a message that some aggression is more excusable than others, some victims matter less and some regimes are held to a lower standard. In doing so, it abandons the very people it claims to stand for, including the people of Iran. If you truly stand for human rights, if you stand for Iranians protesting in the streets, if you stand for those political prisoners and if you stand for those risking their lives for freedom, you should not soften your language when it becomes inconvenient. Peace is not maintained by slogans or wishful thinking; it is maintained by strength, alliances and, importantly, deterrence, and that is something that the Foreign minister has made very clear day after day in question time this week. That is the purpose of partnerships like AUKUS—not to provoke conflict but to prevent it. That is why Australia is acting to support our friends in times of need.

In response to Iran's missile and drone attacks across the gulf, Australia has provided practical military support to the United Arab Emirates. This includes a RAAF Wedgetail aircraft alongside dozens of ADF personnel and advanced air-to-air missiles to defend against incoming threats. This is not symbolic; this support is tangible. These are real deployments protecting real people in real danger. It is important to remember that the same Wedgetail that monitored the skies over Germany and Poland, to help protect Ukraine, is now flying in the gulf's skies, helping defend our partners from Iranian attacks. Ukraine, in turn, is helping the gulf states defend against the same Iranian-made Shahed drones that had been killing Ukrainians for many years.

So, when some dismiss our alliances or pretend that these partnerships are theoretical, this is what they are dismissing: Australians serving in harm's way and standing with our partners to prevent escalation. Yet, they still cannot answer a basic question: if Australia should not stand with partners like the UAE when they face those missiles and drone attacks, then what is the alternative? We must be clear about the world today. It is more dangerous and more contested and demands more than performative politics.

Australia stands for de-escalation. We stand for international law and for the protection of civilians everywhere. (Time expired)

Senate adjourned at 17:40