Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Hansard source

First, with respect to the vile actions of the Iranian regime and, in particular, the glaring omission made by Australia in continuing not to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, I'd like to give heartfelt thanks to Senator Chandler for consistently prosecuting these issues in this place.

Senator Ayres talked about the national interest. I suggest that he come to my home state of Queensland and talk to the Iranian diaspora about the national interest. They're proud Australians, and I'll tell you what their view of the national interest is: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be declared a terrorist organisation because it is a terrorist organisation. It supports Hamas. It supports Hezbollah. It supports terrorist activity all over the world. Yet the Australian government continues to fail to register the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. The United States has registered it as a terrorist organisation. Canada has registered it as a terrorist organisation. Lithuania has registered it as a terrorist organisation. Why? Because it is a terrorist organisation.

We hear this limp excuse that, because the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is so closely connected to the Iranian regime, there is some issue in the law which prevents it from being listed as a terrorist organisation. I have risen repeatedly in this place to say: 'If there is a technical legal reason, come and work with us and we will solve that reason, because the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be registered as a terrorist organisation.' That's the first point.

This is the second point. Senator Ayres, if you're listening to this, come back into this place and tell me how it is in the national interest for Australia to continue to accept the presence in this country of a diplomatic official—I don't care what country they're from—who continues to spew hatred and vile comments whilst being given the diplomatic immunity attached to being in this country. How is it possibly in Australia's national interest for a diplomat to come into this country and spew out vile hatred, especially at this of all times? How is that in our national interest?

Surely it is in Australia's national interest to draw a line and say 'enough'. How many times does a diplomatic official from any country have to be dragged in and counselled with respect to the fact that they should not be engaging in hate speech and should not be making odious, vile comments before we say that that official is persona non grata—a person not acceptable to be in this country or to represent the interests of any foreign nation? How many times, Senator Ayres, will you accept that official coming in and making vile, hate-driven comments before you say it's not in the national interest for that diplomat to be in this country? Answer that question for me, Senator Ayres. I'm baffled by your contribution to the debate in regard to that.

As for the Greens—and this isn't typical, I should say—they propose an amendment to the motion that would change it from, 'The need for the Albanese government to act in response to the Islamic Republic of Iran's widespread sponsoring of terrorism,' to, 'The need for the Albanese government to urgently consider further actions.' There's no further consideration required. The Australian government needs to act.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be proscribed as a terrorist organisation because it is a terrorist organisation. The Iranian diplomatic official should be declared persona non grata because he is engaged in the most vile speech imaginable whilst having diplomatic immunity in this country. It is not in our national interest that he continue to be in this country, and the Iranian government should be sent a message in regard to that in the strongest terms possible. I commend Senator Chandler on this motion.