Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As someone who was a diplomat in their former life, generally speaking I support the maintenance of diplomatic relations. I support having dialogue with countries with whom we can have quite deep disagreements. But that support and that worldview have limits, and I believe, in this instance, the Iranian ambassador has grossly exceeded those limits.

We heard Senator Ayres play a national interest card before, a mysterious national interest card about the unspoken and unwritten value or utility of Australia's relationship with Iran. Well, I do know what that value and utility is, but I also put a value and utility on social cohesion and social harm in Australia. That is also an important national interest. This motion does not urge or suggest the severing of diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. It suggests quite clearly a strong expression of displeasure with the particular ambassador they have chosen to send us and the way he has sought to insert himself in domestic political discussions—in a way that has only inflamed community opinion, sharpened social divisions, encouraged some of the hate speech we have seen on our streets and grossly interfered in the domestic affairs of a country.

Having served as an ambassador myself overseas, I know your role is, of course, to represent and put forward your own country's views privately, diplomatically, often behind closed doors and, at times, to advocate your country's views in public. But you do not seek to do that in a way that inserts itself needlessly aggressively—provocatively, indeed—in another country's domestic political debates, and you certainly do not use the immunity and protections that your office affords you to call for things which would otherwise be unlawful.

We have had the Iranian ambassador publicly urging—this isn't something that he was rumoured to have been overheard saying at a cocktail party—using digital platforms, there for the world to see, to wipe out the Zionists from Palestinian holy lands and to praise Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of a listed terrorist organisation, as a remarkable leader. All the while, we in Australia are dealing with an outbreak in antisemitism and hostility directed at the Jewish community that we have not seen before, and comments such as these by the ambassador are seeking only to inflame the domestic political situation. I can tell you that, if the Australian Ambassador in Tehran were making comments that were even one-tenth or one-fiftieth as interventionist as these in Iran, he would be packing his bags and sent home within hours.

We have a situation here in Australia where the Albanese government is quite happy to summons the Israeli ambassador and urge them—indeed, more than urge them: dictate to them that, if they seek to use force to respond to aggression from the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, they will not have Australia's support. That was the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs summonsing the Israeli ambassador in June. But when the Iranian ambassador makes comments such as he has made about wiping out Zionists from the Palestinian holy lands and praising Hassan Nasrallah, we have weak commentary from the Prime Minister. We had after a period of days, eventually, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade call in the Iranian ambassador and give them a mild dressing-down. They are laughing at us. We have a national interest, which Senator Ayres is so fond of quoting: we have a national interest in ensuring that diplomats present to Australia do not actively seek to undermine our social fabric, our social norms, the rule of law and the respect and tolerance we show all member for all faiths and communities in Australia. That is the national interest that this government should be standing up for. That is why this government should heed this motion.

This ambassador is on notice. He has been called in twice already because of public pressure, because of pressure from the opposition. They should tell him and tell the Iranian government he is no longer welcome in Australia as Iran's diplomatic representative. They should find someone else to send who is not going to actively seek to stir up Australians or incite vilification, racial division and hatred.

Question negatived.