Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

World Refugee Week acts as a reminder to us all to stop and consider those who have had to flee their home country, and to recognise the significant impact they have gone on to make and the many societies they have ultimately enhanced. It is also an opportunity for us to reflect on current commitments to refugees and asylum seekers and what we are doing well or otherwise, and on those who are currently literally stuck in an asylum seeking system that can see their children grow from toddlers to teenagers. Australia prides itself on a history of providing resettlement to refugees and others who are displaced through conflict, persecution and human rights abuses. The government's decision to end the abhorrent and destabilising system of temporary protection visas for some 19,000 refugees who arrived in Australia since 2012 is long overdue. Ninety-four per cent of those eligible have now submitted applications for permanency, and I call on the government to ensure the resolution of status visas are issued as quickly as possible.

There remain some 12,000 people seeking asylum who in many instances have lived in Australia for over a decade but who continue to be punished and denied the basic rights of recognition as a human being worthy of our compassion. In many instances, despite what the system may say of their origins, we have fundamentally shaped who they are today, and our country should bear the responsibility of assisting them to step back into a full and recognisable life here in Australia. Meanwhile, it's estimated that 120 million people are displaced worldwide. While the minister recently reported that we are on track to fill our quota for this year, Australia's humanitarian intake remains at a historic low of 13,750 places. As a nation with boundless plains to share, we can and must do more.

People seeking asylum come from all corners of the world, but today I would like to draw attention to those impacted by the current crackdown of the Iranian regime. Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September, the situation in Iran is increasingly volatile, and a burden of responsibility rests on the international community to respond adequately. The unacceptable loss of life and freedom, and the unimaginable pain felt by Iranian communities here in Australia and their families, is something that cannot be ignored by our wider society. At least 282 people have been arbitrarily executed since the beginning of 2023 to May. That's an average of three executions a day. At least 16 other protesters are in detention, accused of capital offences, and at risk of the death penalty. In all, over 20,000 protesters have been arrested and over 520 people killed, 71 of whom are children and teenagers. While many would like us to think that the protests have now stopped, they haven't; they have simply changed form, not because the Iranians lack the courage but because the loss of life is unbearable and will only get worse.

My community of North Sydney has been shaken by many of these events, including the recent execution of Majid Kazemi. Iranian authorities executed Majid, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi just last month, on 19 May, on the basis of a vaguely worded and overly broad charge of 'enmity against God'. Recently I attended a vigil for Majid alongside his North Sydney family, whose advocacy had been tireless and heartbreaking to witness. I want to particularly pay my respects to Majid's cousin, Mohammad Hashemi, who fought to the very end to see his cousin reunited with his family.

While Australians have responded to these atrocities with three packages of sanctions, have voted with 28 other countries to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women and have demanded an end to executions, I believe there is more we can do. For this reason, I call on the government to step up and uphold their commitment to expand our humanitarian program by increasing the intake of Iranians under various visa programs, with a particular focus on women, girls and persecuted minorities who are seeking to escape the Iranian regime. We can and should expand on the Magnitsky-style sanctions against Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials and individuals. These efforts would be in line with those already taken by other democracies. And we must step up as a world democratic leader and harden our opposition towards the Iranian regime.

It's been nine months since Mahsa lost her life one month since Majid lost his. Still, the Iranian people stand and call for women, life and freedom. I'm committed to amplifying these calls wherever and whenever I can.

See this speech in context