The Iranian-Australian community will be devastated at the Government’s refusal to accept or implement the majority of the 12 recommendations of the Senate inquiry on human rights implications of recent violence in Iran.
The diaspora community has waited more than 7 months for the Government response to this urgent report. Confirmation today that the Government will only accept 2 of the 12 recommendations in full and one in part is staggering.
While we appreciate the additional sanctions announced by the Government today, they do not go far enough with the Foreign Minister acknowledging that “women and girls in Iran still face systemic persecution”.
Many Iranian-Australians have taken great personal risk to speak out, protest and urge the Government to take stronger action. Iranian-Australian community groups have written to the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on multiple occasions throughout the year urging swift implementation of the Committee’s recommendations.
Incredibly, among the recommendations not accepted by the Albanese Government include that any Iranian officials in Australia considered to be involved in intimidation, threats or monitoring of Australians be expelled. This comes despite the Government acknowledging that Australians are being threatened and harassed on Australian soil.
Despite acknowledging that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) is involved in terrorism, the Government has also rejected the recommendation that necessary steps be taken to enable the IRGC to be listed as a terrorist group.
The Government has even refused to accept a recommendation to increase transparency and better inform the Australian public about the status of our diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) regime and our security concerns about its wide-range of threatening and dangerous behaviour.
This Government response and rejection of the majority of the report recommendations will be devastating for many in the Iranian-Australian community who have worked so hard to try and get this Albanese Labor Government to take stronger action and hold the regime to account.
This response comes not only during the week of the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Jina Amini’s death, but at a time when the IRI regime is growing its influence in the region, exporting terror around the world, and gaining leverage and financial benefit from its appalling tactics.
Once again, we join with the diaspora community in urging the Government to take stronger action and reiterate our bipartisan support for doing so. Australia’s position should reflect the bravery and courage of the women and girls fighting for basic human rights.