“I want to honour the people of our diaspora who heroically spearheaded the effort to call attention to the atrocities carried out by the Iranian regime here in Berowra and in other diaspora communities throughout the world as the member of parliament for Berowra, which has a sizable Persian minority”, said Julian Leeser, Member for Berowra.
He further said, “In my speech on Tuesday commemorating the anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations, I discussed our nation’s history and the crucial role that ordinary people’s modest deeds have played in bringing about change. I documented the 1927 stroll by Jimmy Clements and John Noble to the Old Parliament House’s opening and the 1938 march by that famous Yorta Yorta man William Cooper, who demonstrated in front of the German embassy following Kristallnacht.”
From a prison in Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote: “Justice everywhere is threatened by injustice anywhere. We are together in a garment of destiny, entangled in an unbreakable web of reciprocity. Something that directly affects one also indirectly affects everyone.
When William Cooper did, Martin Luther King fully understood and agreed with our interconnectedness. In a democracy like ours, we honour what Alexis de Tocqueville saw when individuals come together to advance a truth or to cultivate a sentiment by becoming an inspiration to others. In a democracy like ours, we honour free speech by allowing a free press within this structure so that authority may be held accountable.
Free speech and political action can be upsetting because they want to change. This kind of political activity has been evident throughout the past year in Iran’s waves of protests for equality, freedom, and liberation. I want to express my respect for the young people in Iran who are risking everything to fight for freedom and liberty. I tell them they belong to a rich tradition that spans much of human history. You may be a victim of the sword of fear, but you are a defender of freedom.
The Persians are a timeless and ancient nation that has seen conflict and upheaval. As the young try to break free from the cult-like madness that has engulfed the old for more than 40 years, we know the future is trying to break away from the past. The only democracy in Middle East, state of Israel, and our great friend and ally, the United States, have been the targets of this madness for decades. That craziness has spread and is now being directed upon the people of their own republic.
The great American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt once talked about the four freedoms—freedom of expression, freedom of faith, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—as the foundations of human dignity. The Iranian people oppose a society where there is no need for fear. The fear of being branded a heretic for a careless word or a fervently held religious belief; the fear of being secretly recorded and having daily conversations monitored; the fear of a justice system, if you can call it that; the fear of women walking alone or wanting to cut their hair; the anxiety felt by someone who identifies as LGBTI and fears jail and death; the fear of being branded a heretic for a careless word or a fervently held religious belief
The Iranian government is lawless. Iran may have a coat of arms, a flag, uniforms, and a passport recognized by a decreasing number of nations. Still, they behave no differently than terrorists who administer Justice from a rifle mounted on the back of a Toyota vehicle. Iran’s crimes against its citizens have undermined the appearance of legitimacy. For this reason, I favour efforts to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran to the list of banned terrorist organizations. They are active at home and abroad, and the IRGC is feared. The Australian Signals Directorate has revealed that individuals with guard affiliations have launched ransomware operations against Australian organizations. They are well known for assisting the Assad dictatorship in Syria and Hezbollah, among other organizations on the list. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost all governmental credibility due to its repeated activities.
I know that concerns have been voiced regarding how difficult it would be to name the IRGC under section 5.3 of the Criminal Code. I respect the sensibilities because these are serious concerns. But tonight, I want to officially state and inform the government that we are willing to collaborate with them to support changes to the Criminal Code that will address those issues. I’m doing this in my capacity as the shadow attorney general. Working together, I am convinced we can add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the list of terrorist organizations.
