Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I move general business notice of motion No. 211:

That the Senate—

(a) notes the joint statement from 23 groups representing the Iranian-Australian community, welcoming the report by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee into the 'Human rights implications of recent violence in Iran';

(b) further notes the support expressed in the joint statement for the committee's

recommendations;

(c) also notes that the joint statement identifies four recommendations that the signatories believe require 'top priority' for implementation by the Government:

(i) categorising the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as an organisation involved in supporting and facilitating terrorism,

(ii) minimising relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to the greatest extent possible,

(iii) increasing transparency and better informing the Australian public about the status of our diplomatic relations with the IRI regime and the security concerns in relation to the regime's behaviour, and

(iv) the expulsion of any Iranian officials considered to be involved in intimidation, threats or monitoring of Australians; and

(d) urges the Australian Government to swiftly respond to the recommendations of the report and the requests from the Iranian-Australian community for further action.

In moving this motion I bring to the Senate the views of a large number of Iranian-Australian community groups. Every senator here is aware of the appalling violence and human rights abuses that have been perpetrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran regime against its own citizens over the past six months. Women and girls who have been forced for decades to comply with oppressive laws dictating what they can wear and where they can go have been especially targeted by the regime with violence, indefinite detention, sexual assault and rape. It was very pleasing that, late last year, this Senate unanimously supported a referral to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for an inquiry on the human rights implications of the violence in Iran. The report that was tabled from that committee has been supported by a collective of 23 Iranian and Persian groups from around Australia on 24 February.