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

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. Over the last three months, the Iranian regime has been accused of killing more than 300 civilians standing up for human rights, particularly Iranian women and girls. When the Prime Minister was asked by the opposition two weeks ago why sanctions had not been applied to the officials responsible for the killing of its citizens, he said that the government was considering the implications of doing so for Australian businesses. The Iranian-Australian community has been calling for weeks for the Australian government to hold the Iranian regime to account. Has the government now applied any sanctions? And, if not, why not?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The senator did canvas some of this in estimates, and I will repeat what I said to the senator on that occasion. That is that there is, I think, bipartisan, or multiparty, condemnation of what is occurring in Iran. That is also why the government has been very forward leaning in its public statements of condemnation and its engagement through DFAT with the charges here and also at the UN General Assembly. I took the senator through the interaction the government had had, including the statement at the General Assembly on the human rights situation in Iran. We supported calls for a special session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran. And on social media I expressed support for the Canada-Australia-New Zealand statement at the UN Security Council highlighting our concerns about Iran's membership on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, a body that Iran joined whilst the coalition was in government. We joined Canada and New Zealand in expressing those concerns to the UN Security Council and we delivered a further statement to the UN Third Committee Interactive Dialogue. And I can go back further. I have engaged with counterparts, including Melanie Joly, as recently as last week about this issue.

In relation to sanctions: as Senator Payne and Ms Bishop would have said before me, we don't engage in public speculation about sanctions—and you will understand why not. But I would encourage the senator: I understand that this is an issue that many people are concerned about. This isn't a partisan issue; this is an issue we are all— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chandler, a first supplementary question.

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

Since the Prime Minister's comments, the Iranian government has used its military to fire on and kill innocent civilians, including children like nine-year-old Kian Pirfalak, who died after security forces opened fire on a car he and his parents were in. When will the government do more than give lip service to the women and girls of Iran and the Iranian Australians calling for Australia to take action?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I disagree with the lip service point. That seems to suggest that the only way in which a government can express its view on the many regimes and countries with which we do not agree is by sanctions. If that is the case, then there were almost no expressions in support for human rights under the coalition. Almost none. So my point is this: there are a great many states in this world, some in our regions, whose actions we do not agree with. And sometimes you're right: sometimes we look at some of the hardest form of expression of that. The UN sanctions are an example. The sanctions on North Korea and Russia are an example. But what we should also do is what Australia has been doing, which is bilaterally and multilaterally add our voice in condemnation of what is occurring in Iran. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chandler, second supplementary?

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

Since the Prime Minister said Australia was still thinking about taking action, the international community, including the United States and the EU, have imposed sanctions on companies and individuals involved in the production or transfer of the uranium drones that have been used by Russia in attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. When will Australia catch up with the rest of the international community, and when will the government use the Magnitsky-style laws passed by this parliament for the express purpose of holding to account those responsible for the most egregious human rights abuses?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question. We actually implement the full suite of UN Security Council mandated sanctions on Iran and an autonomous sanction regime to prohibit the transfer of conventional arms to Iran. In fact, it's on this basis that we have previously imposed—I acknowledge this was Ms Bishop, from memory, but it may also have been Senator Payne who continued them—targeted sanctions on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a whole and a number of IRGC Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps linked officials' financial and travel entities, which I think may have been imposed by Senator Payne.

In relation to the provision of armed drones and missiles, that is a deeply concerning report. We condemn any arms transfers to Russia to support its illegal aggression against Ukraine. And we call upon all countries to refrain from supporting Russia. (Time expired)