Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle) (11:52): I'm very pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to this motion recognising the people of the Baha'i faith and acknowledging their contributions to our society. Thank you to all the members who have spoken on this motion. I would also like to recognise the people of Baha'i faith present in the gallery today. I also congratulate the Baha'i followers on the upcoming historic bicentenary of the birth of the founder, the Bab, next month. The Baha'i faith is one of peace and inclusion. It recognises the value and worth of all religions, it sees the inherent unity of all people and it actively rejects the damaging scourge of racism, prejudice and discrimination. At a time when we are seeing communities and countries across the globe splinter and fragment through hatred and division it is clear that there is much to take from this belief system. The people of the Baha'i faith come from all walks of life and represent many sectors in our community. In my electorate of Newcastle I am fortunate to have a deeply committed local Baha'i community. It is a vibrant and welcoming group of wonderful people. I particularly acknowledge Tom Jones, the volunteer Baha'i chaplain at the University of Newcastle, who has long led the spiritual assembly of the Baha'is in Newcastle. Tom has been an incredible advocate for his local community but also for the plight of Baha'i followers facing prejudice and persecution overseas. I am glad that Australia is a place where all people can practice their faith freely. Regretfully, this isn't the case everywhere. While Australia is currently focused on ensuring that people of all faiths are able to practice their beliefs in Australia without discrimination it is timely for this House to recall that there are still many places in the world where people are imprisoned for their beliefs. Indeed the Baha'i people are subjected to appalling persecution in a number of countries. Last time I rose in this place to speak about the Baha'i I reflected on the appalling treatment of Iran's 300,000 Baha'i followers. I spoke about the fact that the Iranian Baha'is are being restricted and oppressed in all areas of their lives. Hundreds have been detained or even arrested for their faith. These include every single one of the seven leaders of the national Baha'i leadership group, who have been imprisoned on bogus, vague and confected charges like disturbing national security or spreading propaganda against the regime. Many ordinary citizens have found themselves excluded from education and business, have been denied government support that should be their right as citizens or have had their property seized. Others have found themselves subjected to brutal beatings or torture. Virtually all have experienced some form of denial of their basic civil liberties just because of the faith they follow. Since I last spoke there have been some more concerning developments but also some glimmers of hope. According to reports, in 2018 alone, authorities arbitrarily detained almost 100 members of the Baha'i faith. In November last year, the United Nations General Assembly called on Iran to put an end to these ongoing human rights violations. However, in January this year, a provincial court of appeal acquitted a Baha'i citizen who had been sentenced to seven months in prison for propaganda against the state, finding that proselytising for a faith can't be seen as propaganda against the state. Since then there have been a few reports of courts acquitting Baha'i people who had been sentenced to prison on similar charges. Some have said that these might be the first cases of Iranian courts finding that proselytising the Baha'i faith is not a crime. This is a move in the right direction, which will hopefully set a positive precedent for the future. But we mustn't become complacent. Australia must continue to robustly defend the rights of the Baha'i, who face diabolical persecution across the world. We, as part of an international community, can't sit back and let this happen unchallenged. We cannot be silent. It is important that Australia keeps raising this issue through international forums and uses whatever influence we have to end this terrible inhumanity and uphold well-established human rights protections. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Vamvakinou ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.