Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I start by saying that an accurate reflection of history is essential in our world for a better future. Accurately reflecting on the events of the past and making sure that we have a proper account of what happens is incredibly important when it comes to, as part of a civilised and developed world, making sure the future is only better. Atrocities and horrors of the past have been committed right around the world, and ignoring those things is a bad thing to do because, when a country or an authority ignores the errors of the past and the atrocities of the past, we never learn from our mistakes. To not do this serves to not enable us to become a better world and avoid committing the same wrongs of the past against the most vulnerable in our community.

Today I'm speaking about the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides, which occurred under the cover of World War I—events that are heinous in their description. The impact that they had on those peoples at that time is still denied by the Turkish government today and is something that I think is wrong to continue to ignore. I think recognition is important, and it is pleasing to see the number of jurisdictions across the globe that have recognised this formally as a historical event to ensure that this attempted erasure of an entire peoples doesn't occur and will never occur again. That includes, of course, the state of Tasmania, which, as recently as May of this year, recognised as a parliament—on behalf of the people of Tasmania—the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides. So I stand with those calling for there to be formal federal recognition, and I hope it can be achieved under this government.