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SYDNEY: In a meeting with the Armenian National Committee of Australia earlier this week, Federal Labor Candidate for Bennelong, Ms Maxine McKew declared she would “unequivocally and publicly” support the recognition of the Armenian Genocide if elected to government in the upcoming federal elections.

“It was my position while working in the media and remains my position today,” said the former ABC journalist who will challenge Prime Minister John Howard for the Armenian populated seat of Bennelong in the 2007 Federal election.

Ms McKew added: “The Armenian-Australian community has a kindred spirit in me and if elected, I will advocate for recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Government of Australia.”

ANC Australia President, Mr. Varant Meguerditchian welcomed Ms McKew’s affirmation, stating: “The 4000-strong Armenian-Australian voters of Bennelong will wait to hear the position of other candidates, including Prime Minister John Howard, regarding the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition before casting their united votes at the upcoming election.”

“Recognising the Armenian Genocide is the first step toward ensuring against the repeat of such hateful crimes,” added Mr Meguerditchian.

“Ms McKew has set the moral high bar by genuinely expressing her views concerning this very important humanitarian issue.”

During the last days of the Ottoman Empire, the Government implemented a policy of Genocide upon its Christian Armenian population. As a result, up to 1.5million Armenian men, women and children lost their lives between 1915 and 1922.

Adding weight to the importance of recognising the Armenian Genocide is the research conducted by the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies that discovered records of the Australia’s humanitarian assistance to Armenians following the genocide and testimonies by ANZAC soldiers to atrocities of against the Armenians as they occurred.