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

I rise to take note of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security report Review of the 2022 relisting of four organisations as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code. I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

I welcome the opportunity to speak briefly to acknowledge this bipartisan report and its recommendations here in the Senate this evening. This report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security supports the relisting of two affiliates of al-Qaeda and two affiliates of the Islamic State.

The report by the committee makes clear that these are groups involved and engaging in terrorism. It is absolutely appropriate that they are therefore relisted as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code Act. I think it's relevant to note here, while we are talking about al-Qaeda, the confirmation by the United Nations and the United States Department of State that the current leader of al-Qaeda is based in Iran. As a US Department of State spokesperson said in February, 'Offering safe haven to al-Qaeda is another example of Iran's wide-ranging support for terrorism.' We know that the group which Iran uses to fund and support terrorism is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. That is why the IRGC is designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States.

The recent Senate committee inquiry, which I chaired, found that Australia too should take the necessary steps to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. There is no question that the IRGC is engaged in terrorist activity. No serious authority is disputing this. That is why the Iranian-Australian community keeps asking when steps will be taken to ensure that the IRGC is listed as a terrorist organisation. We need leadership and we need action from the government here, but all we are getting is their hands up in the air and them saying that it can't be done. With that, I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.