Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
ABC Radio Melbourne
26 August 2025
Topics: Iran Ambassador expelled; IRGC terrorist listing; Victorian police shootings
E&OE
Ali Moore
I’m joined by the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michaelia Cash.
Senator Cash
Good afternoon, Ali. And could I just say, in the first instance, just in relation to the caller that you just had on, my heart just breaks for the families and for the friends and the colleagues of the Victorian police officers who’ve been killed in the line of duty, and just to say that I want to honour their courage and their service.
Ali Moore
Absolutely. And as I said, we’re hoping to hear from the police chief commissioner in about half an hour’s time that is a sort of ongoing and active police operation, but yes, a really tragic situation this afternoon. I want to ask you about what’s been announced today by the head of ASIO and by the Federal Government. Do you support the government and ASIO all the way with this?
Senator Cash
Yes, we do. I think it’s disgusting and it’s unacceptable that the Islamic Republic of Iran have tried to export intimidation and antisemitic violence to Australia. This is an attack on our sovereignty of our country. It is an attack on our people, Australian people, and, of course, on the safety of Jewish Australians. We do support expelling the Ambassador and the listing of the IRGC.
Ali Moore
The terrorist organisation – that’s what you are referring to there.
Senator Cash
Yes, that is exactly right, the terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. What I would say is this, though we had actually called for this to occur back in February 2023 when Senator Claire Chandler, she actually chaired a references inquiry into the human rights implications of recent violence in Iran, and we heard just some shocking evidence from Iranians that had fled the Islamic Republic of Iran, come to Australia, embraced our country, and it was their evidence. It was the Iranian diaspora in Australia who have tirelessly and courageously advocated for so many years Ali to expose the brutality of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime. So whilst yes, we welcome the action to be taken by the government, I do think it is disappointing that we called for the listing in February 2023 and the government said at the time they wouldn’t do it.
Ali Moore
Michaelia Cash, will you, I assume that you were briefed on this, have you? You’ve received evidence that, in your mind, leaves no doubt that in terms of the attacks that have been specified the Adass Israel synagogue or the Continental Kitchen – that Iran had its hands all over this. You have no doubt about that.
Senator Cash
Well, I back our intelligence agencies, and in particular Mike Burgess, and I think Mike’s public evidence at his press conference was incredibly clear. It’s been a painstaking investigation. They’ve uncovered and unpicked the links between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard. The evidence is clear for them. They also state that they have received intelligence from other countries which they have utilized. So yes, I am more than satisfied that Mike Burgess has provided the government with the correct information. But as I said, in any event, back in February 2023 we were already calling for the listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization in particular, based on information directly from the Iranian diaspora in Australia.
Ali Moore
Do you think that, given that we have this information now, we have a government that is and indeed also an Opposition that is very firm that this is the work of Iran that some of the conversation around this country domestically being more divided than ever before -some of that conversation has been over overdone, given that it would appear that the you know it is being perpetrated by external, not internal forces.
Senator Cash
I think let’s be very, very clear here, we have had an attack on Australian soil by a foreign government, the Islamic Republic of Iran that have utilized proxies here in Australia to potentially kill Australians. Ali, I don’t know how much more serious that gets. This is a regime that does not share Australian values, and it funds arms and trains terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas through the IRGC. I think that this is a direct attack on Australia and Australians.
Ali Moore
But that doesn’t go to the question. The question was more it’s an it’s an attack by an outside force.
Senator Cash
Utilizing Australians. Mike Burgess made that clear, they utilize what are called proxies or actors, and quite frankly, had the government listed when we asked them to in February 2023, the IRGC as a terrorist organization, what it would have done is send a very, very clear message to any Australian or someone here that guess what, if you provide support to terrorist organizations. Guess what? You will go to jail, and the government did not do that.
Ali Moore
Can I just finish by going back to the situation that we’re facing here in northern Victoria, which you expressed your concerns about at the beginning, but one of the points, and we’ve been talking about it a bit this afternoon, and that is the fact that the gunman that the police are still not caught identifies as a sovereign citizen, where we’ve seen Four Corners reports on sovereign citizens. Do you have concern that, as a movement, as a whatever you want to call it, that it is becoming a growing problem?
Senator Cash
The only thing that I’m worried about at this point in time is ensuring that the person or persons who have killed and wounded serving police officers are literally brought to justice as quickly as possible, and, quite frankly, have the book thrown at them. That is the only thing I am concerned about. The families, the friends and the colleagues of these two Victorian Police killed, but also the third officer seriously injured. I don’t care who you are, you do not kill our police. You do not injure our police who get up every single day, Ali and they go to work to keep us safe. My priority is with the police.
Ali Moore
Thank you for joining. Great to be with you.
Senator Cash
Ali, thank you.
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