Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To all Bengali Australians, I convey my best wishes following celebrations of the anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh on Sunday. It's now been 52 years since that momentous time, 26 March 1971, when independence was declared. I'm proud to say that Australia was the first Western country to recognise an independent Bangladesh, on 31 January 1972. Relations between our nations started on a very positive note. Australia's first High Commissioner to Bangladesh, James Allen, could speak Bengali. That gesture demonstrated the Australian government's goodwill to the proud new country. Under the instructions of the former prime minister Gough Whitlam, Australia assisted diplomatically with the admission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in 1974. Gough was the first—and indeed the last—Australian prime minister to visit Bangladesh, on 19 January 1975. His visit clearly demonstrated his desire for engagement with Bangladesh, and I'm proud to say that the relationship has gone from strength to strength. I am honoured to represent a thriving Bangladeshi community within the electorate of Kingsford Smith, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside Bengali Australians to make our community a better place to live. I thank the Bangladeshi community for your friendship and your outstanding contribution to Australia. Best wishes to everyone celebrating the anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh.

Australia stands with the people of Iran. The Iranian regime's flagrant and widespread disregard for the human rights of its own people has appalled Australians. We stand with Iranian women and girls in their struggle for equality and empowerment. We call on Iran to cease its oppression of women. Australia regularly raises Iran's significant discrimination against women and its human rights violations with officials in both Tehran and Canberra as well as in multilateral fora. The perpetrators of these violations must be held directly accountable. The Australian government is imposing Magnitsky-style targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 14 individuals and targeted financial sanctions on 14 Iranian entities responsible for egregious human rights abuses and violations in Iran. Among those are the morality police who were responsible for the arrest, detention and ill treatment of Mahsa Amini. Her death must not be in vain. Australia is also joining additional partners to impose further financial sanctions. Australia continues to stand with the people of Iran and with the people of Ukraine.