Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was regarded as the ‘architect’ for oppression in Iran

I want to talk about freedom and democracy and the values that underpin both. Because in Australia, freedom isn't accidental. It's built on principles. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to disagree. The kind millions of people in Iran have never truly known. For decades, the Iranian regime has controlled every aspect of daily life. speech, dress, protest, the press, even personal belief, journalists jailed, students expelled, political dissident imprisoned, ethnic and religious minorities targeted, families living with the constant knowledge that a wrong word or a wrong post could change their lives overnight. This is not a minor policy dispute. This is systemic repression. And yet, despite the risk, the Iranian people continue to rise. Recently, thousands of Iranians have filled the streets around the globe protesting for change. They are doing this knowing the consequences, marching for the right to live without fear of the regime. And they continue to protest. But it's not just the protesters. Iranian women have led some of the most extraordinary acts of courage we've seen in modern times. removing their hijabs in public, defying morality police. Standing in the streets knowing the price of dissent could be their freedom or their lives. Even members of Iran's women's soccer team have taken extraordinary risks. When they refused to sing the regime's anthem before their match against South Korea on the Gold Coast, it was widely seen as a silent protest against the Islamic Republic. >> [music] >> An Iranian state television has since labeled those players as wartime traitors. And under the regime's punishing code, accusations of treason can carry 15 years in prison or the death penalty. Shadow Minister for Education and Indigenous Australians Julian Lisa called for these women to be offered asylum here in Australia. >> Just days ago, Iranian state TV described the Iranian women's soccer team who refused to sing the regime's national anthem while competing at the Gold Coast. They described their soccer team as wartime traders and called for them to be develop dealt with most severely on their return home. >> And that's why this moment matters because if we in the West speak constantly about human rights, equality, and justice, then surely there is no clearer test of those values than this. It's not about left or right politics. It's about whether we truly believe freedom is universal. And that's where an uncomfortable question begins to emerge. This is one of the most courageous fights for liberty in our time. Where's the global outcry? Where is the sustained, visible, unapologetic solidarity? Because freedom matters everywhere. And moments like this remind us that it is never guaranteed and it must always be defended. Yet here in Australia, some political voices seem more comfortable condemning military action against the Iranian regime than standing clearly with the Iranian people fighting for their freedom. The Greens Party, for example, have condemned the actions of the United States and Israel while also turning their criticism on Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi over Australia's involvement. This makes Australia obviously, clearly, unambiguously part of an illegal war. Part of a war that is breaking down the norms of international law and making the world a less safe place. The Australian government is making Australian defense personnel potentially complicit in not one war crime, but multiple war crimes. >> Senator Shubbridge claims this war will make the world a less safe place. Where is the same urgency when it comes to condemning the regime itself? Where is the solidarity with the Iranian people risking their lives for liberty? Because this is the moment that tests whether our values are real. And here in Australia, we should not assume democracy is immune. Polling from the Australian National University shows only 43% of Australians aged 18 to 24 believe democracy is always preferable to other systems of government. Even more striking, support for a democracy amongst women is lower than men. And that is a sobering statistic. Shadow Minister for Industry and sovereign capability Andrew Hasty captured this point well while speaking at the CPAC conference in Western Australia. >> I also discovered that democracy is a long-term cultural project that cannot be easily exported, but it can be easily destroyed. >> And it's because democracy is more fragile than we think. And while protesters in Tyran risk prison for demanding liberty, here in Australia, we have seen something deeply confronting. In some parts of our country, people gathered to mourn and praise the Ayatollah, a leader widely regarded as the architect of decades of repression in Iran. The regime has funded militant groups across the region, violently suppressing its own citizens and exporting instability beyond its borders, including the attack on Melbourne's Adas Israel synagogue. This regime enforces harsh repression against women and members of the LGBT community. These are actions that stand in clear violation of international law and basic human rights. So if public memorials are being held for this regime leader, Australians are entitled to ask difficult questions, not about religion, not about ethnicity, but about values. Assistant Minister for Home Affairs Matt Thistlewait was asked on Sky News this morning whether the government would offer support to the Iranian soccer players. >> Well, any sporting team uh or member of a sporting team uh gets no preferential treatment in terms of visas coming to Australia. they must meet all of the conditions. >> And yet, I can't help but draw comparison that at the same time, the minister can be so blunt with his views on the Iranian soccer team while also being in a government that's so deceptive and non-transparent about the ISIS brides, women who left our shores to support a terrorist regime. Exactly the kind of people that Iranians are trying to break away from. Which brings us to the broader question. Where are the movements that fill Western streets every other weekend for causes like the pro Palestinian movement? How is this not the defining fight of our time? Because freedom, it's not leftwing. It's not right-wing. It's not fashionable. It's fundamental. And if we truly believe in freedom, then we must defend it everywhere. And that means holding our leaders to account and demanding that they stand clearly for the values as a nation we claim to represent. Because the true test of our commitment to freedom isn't what we say in comfort. It's what we defend when others are fighting for it.

Sky News host Jaimee Rogers says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was widely regarded as the “architect” of decades of oppression in Iran. Ms Rogers said the regime has funded militant groups “across the region”. “Violently suppressing its own citizens and exporting instability beyond its borders.”