Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pity that my speech around my visit to Armenia with the Armenian National Committee was interrupted, but I also want to extend my thanks to the member for Mayo for her cooperation.

The Armenian people were among the first to rise up and demand independence, sparking the downfall of the Soviet Union. Throughout the visit, we had a number of meetings with various government officials and senior leaders, including of course the President and the Prime Minister, as I outlined already. It was also an opportunity to recognise and honour the victims of the first genocide in modern history—the Armenian genocide from 1915 to 1923, where 1.5 million Armenians, of a total population of two million, were forcibly marched into the Syrian Desert to face their death—and their chilling stories. We also had the opportunity to sign the visitors book and plant a tree at Tsitsernakaberd, the genocide memorial outside of Yerevan. It wasn't just a human genocide; it was also a cultural one. Many churches and cultural institutions and traditions were destroyed. And many of them—particularly the Armenian orthodox church—did not recover from that era and the legacy of the Soviet Union that actively dissuaded people from practising their faith or made it difficult for them to do so. In addition to the horrific death count, many Armenian families lives were irreversibly altered through forced labour, food depravation, rape and robbery, and it should never be forgotten.

Today's Armenian government is busy undertaking robust reform as part of a new era for the country. Their focus is on providing a tax framework that encourages growth, including a flat income tax, exempting enterprises with a yearly turnover of less than $50,000 from company tax. That's right—in Armenia, they get it. Cutting taxes grows jobs, as does meeting with various other ministers in the government to talk about issues ranging from tackling domestic violence, social inclusion, the promotion of STEM for young people and opportunities for bilateral engagement.

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