Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last October I updated the House on the situation of protests in Iraq, and I mentioned to the House then that these protests were very serious and that the protesters were demanding both economic and political reforms. These protests are no longer in the headlines, but they are still happening, and that doesn't reduce the need to keep the House informed; it increases the need to keep the House informed of the brave protesters in Iraq who are protesting for more democracy and for economic reform.

These protests are now in their sixth month. The protesters are venting their frustration at the failure of successive governments to provide better living standards and economic opportunities. Since the protests began, the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi, has announced he is stepping down, but he has been caretaker Prime Minister, and his replacement, Prime Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, is viewed by protesters as being very much in the same vein as his predecessor.

The key point here is the role of the young people of Iraq, who are very much leading these protests. For that, frankly, their courage should be recognised. These are young people who are going to the streets to protest against their government, and, regardless of what you think about any particular matter, the courage of those protesters is to be acknowledged and recognised in this House, a house of democracy. We should celebrate those who are arguing for more democracy and putting their lives on the line to do so, and this is very much what they are doing.

It's estimated that 60 per cent of Iraq's population is under the age of 25. These people don't remember life under the dictator Saddam. And the population is expected to grow to 50 million. I make the point that these people are taking great risks, because people are being punished very severely for protesting and have been punished severely for protesting in Iraq.

One protester, Fadlallah, who is only 11 years old, has been attending the protests in his home city since they began in October. He's 11, and he's been going to the protests since October. He said: 'I am joining the protests for the sake of the homeland.'

Last time I updated the House, 100 people had been killed. I'm sad to report that this number is now over 600. Again, this is not in the headlines in Australia and elsewhere in the world, but it should be acknowledged: 600 people have given their lives for exercising their right to protest in Iraq. Anti-government protests have continued to be held. Just this last Sunday, over a thousand students marched through the centre of Baghdad.

Of course, these numbers are less than they were last October. There has been a whole range of reasons for that, including the crackdown by the government and the fear that people have for their lives. They get charged with terrorism offences for protesting—offences which carry the most severe penalties, including, obviously, the death penalty. Also there have been concerns about the coronavirus. Obviously, that is an issue in the Middle East, particularly in Iran, and people in Iraq would be concerned about that.

But the protests are continuing. A thousand students marched through the centre of Baghdad just last Sunday. It has been evident in Baghdad's Tahir Square, or Liberation Square, which remains a focal point of the protests. I've been there; I've stood on it. It's the appropriate focal point of the protests. In October and November, many swarmed to the square as a meeting place to voice their opposition to the government. There has been a reduction in the number of protesters for a number of reasons, including some threats that have been made by various groups. But those young people who continue to protest do deserve to be acknowledged. A 17-year-old protester said: 'I know coronavirus is dangerous, but I could not go back home. Returning home means that we lose the revolution that we spent days and nights fighting for.'

Democracy and economic reform are necessary in Iraq. We were part of the Coalition of the Willing. We went into Iraq to bring democracy. We were told it would improve the situation in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator. But, having been to Iraq and spent time there, and from representing many Iraqi Australians, I can tell you: many Iraqis say the situation has not improved for them since his fall. This is particularly the case for those minorities in Iraq of Christian heritage, Assyrians and Chaldeans, and others including Mandeyans and Yazidis and other minorities. There was a group here in Parliament House last night representing Assyrians, Armenians and Pontic Greeks talking about the tragedies of the past. But Assyrians and Mandeyans and Chaldeans and other minorities continue to face tragedies today in Iraq, and they're not the only ones. This has been a coalition of protesters calling for democratic and economic reform. As I said, having updated the House last October on their bravery, I wasn't going to let that be forgotten just because it has left the headlines today.