For the first time in Australian Federal Parliamentary history, a Motion recognising the Armenian Genocide through Australia’s first major international humanitarian relief effort for survivors of the Genocide, was accepted for debate by the bipartisan Selection Committee of the House of Representatives.
All six Members of Parliament (MP) spoke in favour of the motion, which correctly characterises the Armenian Genocide, something the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade policy does not.
The comprehensively favourable debate, to recognise Australia’s first major international humanitarian relief effort, is an expression of the will of the Australian Parliament’s House of Representatives.
CANBERRA: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) has reported that Australia’s House of Representatives has debated, for the first time, a Motion recognising the Armenian Genocide through the prism of Australia’s first major international humanitarian relief effort, and has called for a vote to change the government’s foreign policy.
The debated Motion recognises, among other things, “the extraordinary humanitarian efforts of the then newly formed Commonwealth of Australia for the orphans and other survivors of the Armenian Genocide, as well as the other Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire including Greeks and Assyrians”.
It was moved on Monday 25th June 2018 in the Australian Parliament’s Federation Chamber by Trent Zimmerman (Liberal MP for North Sydney) and seconded by Joel Fitzgibbon (Labor MP for Hunter) and John Alexander (Liberal MP for Bennelong). Chris Bowen (Labor MP for MacMahon), Stuart Robert (Liberal MP for Fadden) and Anne Aly (Labor MP for Cowan) also spoke favourably on Australia’s helping hand for the victims of Ottoman Turkey’s crime against humanity.
This comprehensive, bipartisan support indicates that the House of Representatives has taken a major step towards Australia recognising its first major international humanitarian relief effort was to aid survivors of the Genocide that decimated the Christian Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians of the Ottoman Empire.
Significantly, the Motion accurately reflects and accepts as a historical fact the Armenian Genocide as a “genocide”, moving Australia closer to international norms of recognising the systematic murder of over 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire starting in 1915.
ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian said: “This Motion recognises that Australia's first major international humanitarian relief effort was to help the survivors, especially the orphan survivors of the Armenian Genocide, and today’s bipartisan debate paves the way for an eventual vote to formalise this recognition by the nation’s Parliament.”
Kayserian said that Armenian-Australians faced “some obstacles and a considerable road ahead” to achieve full recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Australia, however “that journey is that little bit shorter after this debate broke many taboos”.
“All speeches recognised Australia’s relief efforts during the Armenian Genocide, as that was the focus of this motion, however we must seek more to honour the memory of the survivors of the Genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians,” Kayserian said. “We need more of our political leaders, to follow the lead of some of the honourable members during today’s debate, and Australia to properly recognise the Armenian Genocide.”
“When debates such as today’s and when these calls for recognition evolve into a binding vote on a Motion, such as the one debated today, by one of the Houses of Parliament, we would have ensured an important shift in Australian foreign policy from one that appeases a foreign dictatorship to one that sides with truth and justice on the issue.”
Zimmerman, who is the Co-Chair of the Armenia-Australia Inter-Parliamentary Union (Friendship Group/Caucus), was unequivocal in his call for the importance of Armenian Genocide recognition during his speech.
“In remembering the victims of the Armenian Genocide and those Australians who came to their aid, we send a message that the events which started in 1915 are not just some footnote in history,” Zimmerman said. “For if we hide from the truth, if we fail to recognise the evil that was perpetrated against the Armenians, we simply provide succour to those today and in the future who think that they can deny the most important of human rights, of life itself.”
Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fitzgibbon, who is also a Co-Chair of the Armenia-Australia Inter-Parliamentary Union (Friendship Group/Caucus), echoed these calls.
“Up to 30 countries around the world, and our own New South Wales Parliament, have now declared the actions of the Ottomans an act of Genocide,” he said. “I do not believe the ongoing failure of Australia to do the same helps rebuild trust and relationships - we invest so much time in our international relationships and I believe one further act could further strengthen our place in the world.”
Alexander, who is Member of the largest Armenian-Australian electorate in Bennelong and a long-time supporter of Armenian Genocide recognition, used this debate to repeat his calls.
“I have long called for this Parliament to recognise the Armenian Genocide,” said Alexander. “I am happy that today by debating this motion we are taking a significant step towards achieving that goal by recognising Australia’s first major international humanitarian relief effort, and what a relief effort it was.”
Alexander added: "I impatiently wait for the day that Australia recognises not only our efforts to aid refugees and orphans of the Armenian Genocide, but also joins with the other 30 countries in calling for Turkey to recognise the events of 1915 as Genocide.”
“Today is a victory against foreign influence,” Kayserian explained. “Despite pressures to gag this debate by a desperate Turkish dictatorship, five out of six speakers from the largest chamber in Australia's Federal Parliament chose to side with a Motion recognising the Armenian Genocide for what it was, a Genocide, while paying tribute to an important and proud chapter in Australia's history which has been sought to be suppressed by foreign influence.”
MPs Bowen, who is the Shadow Treasurer of Australia, Robert and Aly provided detail of the events of the Armenian Genocide and Australia’s relief effort in their support for the Motion.
Bowen said: “The Australian soldiers had a chance during WWI to interact with the Armenian people in particular. Many Australians who were taken prisoner were billeted in the former homes of Armenians who had been expelled from their homes. Their homes had been ransacked and pillaged and in many senses destroyed.”
He added: “It is… particularly important to recognise the humanitarian efforts of Australians, and perhaps the beginning of those links of friendship and comradeship between the Australian people and Armenian people and Assyrian people.”
Robert said: “Whilst Australia formed its sense of modern identity on the battlefields starting with Gallipoli, Armenia formed its sense of great and secondary tragedy from the events that followed. These things should not be hidden, they should be discussed, they should be open. Reconciliation comes from an honest appraisal of events and an honest appraisal of history.”
Aly said: “The humanitarian efforts by Australians towards Armenians should be recognised as an important part of our history. It serves to remind us all, that even in war, there is heroism, there is compassion, and there is shared humanity.”
The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) led a delegation of community representatives – including leaders of local Armenian, Greek and Assyrian organisations and clergy – to witness the historical 30-minute debate in the Federation Chamber of Parliament House.
ANC-AU Executive Director, Haig Kayserian said: “Our presence here is a gesture of thanks on behalf of our ancestors, all descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, who would be resting that little bit easier after seeing Australia take this significant step towards full recognition of the crimes against humanity that took their lives, their homes and their belongings.”
He added: “This is a Motion that brings immense honour to Australia, and for us Australians of Armenian origin - the vast majority being descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide - this is a day of immense pride knowing that our nation helped our ancestors, 14,000 kilometres away, over 100 years ago at a critical time of need for their very survival.”
Kayserian concluded: “The gag order on the use of Armenian Genocide by Australia's federal government has received a sizeable blow. But our work must not stop until Australian Parliament follows the Parliaments of New South Wales and South Australia in affirming the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide.”
FULL MOTION BELOW:
