Address to the Federation Chamber, Private Members' Business

Monday 4 November 2024

While I do not agree with all the elements of the motion moved by the member for Groom, I do wish to commend the contributions made by members to this debate, and I commend the member for Groom for representing the concerns of an important community within his electorate.

The day of 3 August 2014 was one of unimaginable horror for the Yazidi people living in Sinjar in north-western Iraq. Over the following days and months up to 400,000 people were displaced and countless people were trafficked, kidnapped or killed. Those who survived were forcibly transferred to bordering countries as slaves or were trained to fight, against their will. The United Nations documented that over 5,000 Yazidis were killed and over 11,000 women and girls were trafficked throughout Iraq and Syria. Ten years on, thousands are still missing.

Earlier this year, the UN's investigative team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Daesh released a report concluding that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide were committed by the militant group during their 2014 offensive. Since the outbreak of war in 2014, successive Australian governments have provided humanitarian support to the Yazidi diaspora who now call our country home. We recognise the importance of and the need for justice for the Yazidi people. Persecution has been a painful yet consistent theme for the Yazidi. Their resilience means they have survived countless attempts, spanning across centuries, to wipe them and their faith from history.

Two of Australia's greatest attributes are its multiculturalism and its helping of those in need. Australia heeded the call to help, and since 2014 the government has granted thousands of offshore humanitarian visas to Yazidis from Iraq, Syria and Turkiye. The government's offshore humanitarian program has focused particularly on women and children, as well as on their immediate families. The government is committed to the families of those who have resettled in Australia.

Fast forward a decade from that terrible day in Sinjar and much has changed for those who've settled here. There are regional hubs, like that in Toowoomba in the division of Groom, which is now home to one of the largest Yazidi communities in the country. While we may not agree on everything in the motion being put before the House, I admire the member for Groom for strongly advocating for his constituents in this place. Kurdish Kurmanji, their traditional dialect, is the second-most spoken language in the region. Those who have settled here have not only embraced this new opportunity; they are giving back to the communities that assisted them when they first arrived.

For those who did resettle here, there's an understanding of feeling happy and safe, yet equally, understandably, there's concern for their families and friends who remain at risk of ongoing persecution. Many members of the Yazidi diaspora living in Australia have shared their often-horrifying experiences, and, while opening our doors to them was life changing, concerns linger for the safety of their family members, either missing or unable to join them here in Australia. Stories like these reinforce why the government is providing 20,000 visas through our humanitarian visa program for the 2024-2025 period, ensuring we can permanently resettle and protect in Australia those most in need from around the world.

The Australian government fully supports the right of Yazidis to live in safety and security throughout Iraq and Syria. We acknowledge the horrific experiences of sexual slavery, torture, mass murder and brutality experienced by the Yazidi communities in Iraq and Syria at the hands of Daesh. We stand united with the Yazidi community, and we'll continue to advocate for their rights, and for justice, and to monitor the efforts of the Iraqi government to achieve justice for the Yazidi community following that unthinkable violence in 2014.

The Australian government also continues to advocate to Iraq the importance of preventing violence and hate speech against minorities and of implementing Iraq's laws governing the protection of all minorities, with our ambassador to Iraq recently attending a commemoration in Baghdad and issuing a statement to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sinjar massacre. In that statement, the ambassador noted that 3 August was 'the 10th anniversary of the Sinjar massacre in Iraq, which marked the beginning of a series of atrocities suffered by the Yazidi people at the hands of Daesh. The Yazidi community faced unthinkable violence, forced displacement and sexual violence. We mourn those lost and honour those who carry forward their memories and culture. We admire the resilience and strength of the Yazidi community, including those that now call Australia home.'