Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Chandler for her question. She and I had a discussion about this in estimates, and I would refer her, in terms of the action we have been taking, to the answer I gave in the Senate last week about this issue. We have taken action against Iran. We've consistently called out the regime publicly for its egregious actions, and I think everybody in this place—

as much as you might like to play a bit of politics with this, Senator Van—would stand united in our condemnation of the brutal repression of civil and political rights in Iran, following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini.

I would make this point. In relation to sanctions, the senator does know that I have not, nor has any foreign minister before me, including Senator Payne—notwithstanding her interjection—ever speculated publicly on sanctions. No foreign minister would publicly speculate on sanctions, for very good reasons.

I understand the calls from the community in Australia. I met with some representatives last week and I said to them I understand why it is that people feel so strongly about this and why people are so angry. In a world in which Australia and other like-minded countries, such as Canada, the US, New Zealand and many others that we have been working with, in the UN context, to put pressure on Iran—I wish we could make this better, but we can't. That is the reality. This is a repressive regime; we have to continue to work with other members of international community to assert clear pressure in that context. We have also made representations directly— (Time expired)