David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

In August 2014, in Sinjar, which was home to the largest Yazidi community in the world at the time, Daesh—also known as ISIS or Islamic State—murdered at least 5,000 Yazidis. Those killed were mostly men and boys, but thousands of Yazidi children and women were kidnapped, with many exploited as sex slaves and child soldiers. More than 2,000 Yazidis are still missing.

Today, in this parliament, I want to acknowledge the ninth anniversary of this tragedy and call it what it was: an act of genocide against the Yazidi people at the hands of Daesh extremists. This is a position that has been formally adopted by the UK and German parliaments. The time has come for Australia to follow suit and acknowledge the acts of genocide against the Yazidi people.

In acknowledging this history, it is also imperative for the Australian government and its allies to call on the Iraqi government to recognise the Yazidi Sinjar self-autonomous administration and urge the prevention of Turkish airstrikes targeting Yazidi community leaders and their environment, which they have a strong religious connection to. The destruction of villages and infrastructure at the hands of the Daesh, and more recently Turkiye, has forced Yazidi Kurds to flee their homeland and seek refuge. So aid and economic support must also be provided to support Yazidis to return to the land they are connected with.

I stand in solidarity with the Yazidi community around the world, and particularly the Yazidi diaspora in my home state of New South Wales, centred as many are, around Wagga, who have overcome unbearable violence to form a thriving community and build a fulfilling life here.

I also want to acknowledge Ismet Tastan, who is in the chamber on behalf of the Yazidi people, to be a voice for them, to bring truth to this parliament. Thank you for being here, Ismet, and thank you to the Yazidi community, and together, being a powerful voice.