Friends, I am honoured to represent one of the largest Persian communities in the country. I have often said it is the fourth largest, but since the redistribution last year it is now the third largest Persian community in Australia, with nearly 3,000 people. I am deeply proud to represent this community.

Over my time in Parliament, I have met many families and individuals and heard your stories and understood your history. I have stood alongside you as you have spoken out about what is happening in Iran. I want you to know that I have taken those stories with me, not just to rallies but into the Australian Parliament. I will continue to do everything I can to stand up for you and for the Iranian people.

Today we gather to mark the birthday of Reza Shah the Great. For many people in this room, that name carries deep meaning. It speaks to a hopeful chapter in Iran’s history, when the country sought to modernise, strengthen its institutions, and reassert its national confidence after a long period of instability.

Reflecting on that history is not just about looking backwards. It is about remembering that Iran has always been a nation capable of renewal.

For nearly 50 years, however, the Iranian people have lived under a regime that rules through fear. For nearly 50 years, that regime has tried to define Iran in the eyes of the world. It has tried to convince the world that the Islamic Republic is Iran, that the voice of the regime is the voice of the Iranian people, and that its ideology represents Iranian civilisation.

But we all know that has never been true.

Iran is far older and far richer than the regime that has tried to control it. Persian civilisation stretches back thousands of years. It has made extraordinary contributions in science, literature, philosophy and architecture. Persian culture has influenced the world in ways that are still deeply felt today.

The poets of Persia are read across continents. Persian scholarship has shaped knowledge for centuries. Persian art and architecture remain among the most admired in the world.

That civilisation cannot be erased by one generation of tyranny.

For decades, the regime has tried to silence its people. It has imprisoned students, persecuted women, censored journalists, murdered political opponents, and crushed dissent through intimidation and violence. It has exported terror beyond its borders, including to Australia, and destabilised the region through proxy groups and militias.

The human cost of that repression is immense. Many in this room know it far more personally than I do. We see it in the tens of thousands of people killed in recent months alone. We see it in the terrible stories emerging from inside Iran. Families torn apart, loved ones disappeared, lives destroyed simply for speaking out.

This regime is one of the worst human rights abusers in the world.

And yet, despite everything the Persian people have endured, you have never lost your desire for freedom.

Across generations, the spirit of Iran has endured. Young people have taken to the streets with extraordinary courage. Women have stood up against brutality. Students and workers have demanded a voice in the future of their country.

Those acts of courage have inspired people across the world, including here in Australia. I want you to know that the three levels of government represented here are inspired by you every day.

We saw that courage again recently through the actions of the Iranian women’s football team, who refused to sing the regime’s national anthem.

To those who do not understand the nature of the regime, that may seem a small act. But in that context, it was an act of remarkable bravery.

When they refused to sing the anthem, they sent a message heard around the world. They reminded us that the Persian people long for freedom.

When it became clear these women could face serious danger if forced to return home, many in your community spoke up. I spoke up as well. I called for the Iranian women’s football team to be given the opportunity to seek asylum in Australia if they chose to do so. I was the first political leader in the country to make that call.

My colleagues joined in, and voices across the Persian community rallied in support. A petition was launched and nearly 80,000 people signed it. That was a powerful message that could not be ignored.

In the end, the Albanese Government reconsidered its position. It changed its mind, and that was the right decision. Several players have been allowed to remain in Australia, and they are welcome here.

I do want to say, however, that I am disturbed to read that some who initially sought asylum have decided to return, and that they may have been pressured by agents of the regime. I have called for Minister Burke to cancel the visas of anyone pressuring these women, to detain and deport them.

If women have been coerced to return and the government could have acted but failed to do so, then that would be a grave failure, and I will hold them to account.

The courage of those players reminded the world of something fundamental: Persian people love freedom. They believe in dignity and opportunity. They want a society where individuals can speak freely, where women are treated equally, and where young people can build a future without fear.

The conflict now unfolding in the region continues, and no one can say with certainty how it will end. We all hope it ends in freedom and democracy.

For decades, the regime seemed immovable. Today, that certainty has been shaken. History often moves slowly, and then suddenly. The generation that has endured oppression for over 50 years may yet see the beginning of a new chapter.

There are many voices speaking about that future, including Reza Pahlavi. I was pleased to see his recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald. I hope to see the day he visits Australia as a guest of our Parliament.

Ultimately, the future of Iran will be determined by the Iranian people themselves. They deserve the chance to build a government that reflects their aspirations, not one that represses them.

The story of Persia has always included great leadership and moral vision. One of the most remarkable chapters begins with Cyrus the Great.

More than two and a half thousand years ago, when conquest meant slavery and destruction, Cyrus chose a different path. He freed those who had been enslaved. Among them were the Jewish people exiled from Jerusalem. He allowed them to return home and rebuild their temple.

As a Jewish Australian, I can say this act has never been forgotten. Cyrus is remembered not as a conqueror, but as a liberator.

History has a way of echoing. Today, once again, the Iranian people stand at the centre of the struggle between freedom and oppression.

But the future of Iran will not be written by foreign powers. It will be written by the Iranian people.

Iran will not be defined by tyranny. It will be defined by its civilisation, its culture, and the courage of its people.

I believe the next generation of Iranians will live in a country that reflects those values — a country where girls can pursue education without fear, where people can speak and vote freely, and where a great civilisation is reconnected with a democratic future.

That is the Iran I believe in. That is the Iran so many of you believe in. And that is the Iran the Iranian people deserve.

Thank you very much.