My name is Sarah Henderson – Liberal senator for Victoria and the Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety.
It is an honour to stand with you on this International Women’s Day.
To recognise and celebrate Iranian Australian women – and the women of Iran – fighting for freedom, dignity, and peace.
Fighting against the brutal oppressive Iranian regime.
Fighting for an end to 47 years of deprivation of basic human rights.
On behalf of the Federal Liberal and National coalition, I am here to say we hear you, we join you and we stand in solidarity with the people of Iran, with Israel and the United States.
Your freedom is worth fighting for.
For decades, women in Iran have endured life at the hands of an evil regime.
An evil regime which dictates to women what they wear, how they live and what freedoms they are allowed under the rule of the Islamic Republic.
Women are forced to cover their hair and bodies. They face lashings, beatings or imprisonment for defying morality laws. In legal terms, they are treated as worth half the value of men. Many cannot travel without a man’s permission.
Not only has the IRGC also inflicted its terror and hate through proxies on many other democracies, it is responsible for terror attacks on Australian soil including the firebombing of the Addas Israel synagogue.
The death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by Iran’s morality police, shocked the world. Her name has become a symbol of resistance – a reminder that the fight for freedom is often carried by the bravest voices, even when those voices are silenced.
In the face of intimidation, violence and repression, Iranian women have risen with extraordinary courage. They have marched in the streets, removed their hijabs in protest, and demanded a simple but powerful truth: that women should be free to live their lives without fear.
So many have died in the name of freedom.
I look behind at this banner – 774 faces of tens of thousands horrendously massacred in two days – on the 8thand 9th January this year.
Evil in Iran must be defeated.
“Woman, Life, Freedom” — is not just a slogan. It is a declaration that fundamental human rights belong to every woman, everywhere.
As Australians, we believe deeply in freedom, democracy, and equality before the law. Those values compel us to stand with you – and the women of Iran as they demand the same rights that we cherish.
We must never forget that behind every protest is a young woman with dreams, a family which loves her, and a future she deserves to live freely.
We stand with the Iranian women’s national football team.
The lionesses.
A group of resilient Iranian women whose silence – when it matters – tells us everything.
We hope and pray for a time when Iranian women will no longer be forced to remain silent to raise their voice.
Your freedom is worth fighting for.
And we won’t stop until you are free.