The Australian government has introduced a bill to the House of Representatives that would allow the country to designate the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Australia’s Attorney General, Michelle Rowland, presented the bill to parliament on Wednesday morning, October 8.
The move follows findings by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) indicating that the IRGC was involved in at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil.
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Under the provisions of the bill, the government would also be able to include foreign state institutions on the list of terrorist organizations — something that was previously not legally possible.
In her address to parliament, Michelle Rowland said the bill strengthens Australia’s counterterrorism framework and creates an environment where it becomes “more difficult and dangerous for foreign actors to harm Australia and its community.”
She added that this serves as a warning to any foreign government that seeks to threaten or coerce Australia through violence.
According to Rowland, the evolving threats facing the country must not go unanswered, and parliament must respond firmly and in unity. She stressed that terrorism seeks to intimidate and destroy social cohesion, impacting national security, international relations, and the public’s sense of safety.
She added that with the emergence of “state-sponsored terrorism” as a new factor, threats have entered a new phase.
Rowland further noted that intelligence and security agencies will be granted expanded powers to confront state-sponsored terrorism, similar to those that already exist under current laws for traditional forms of terrorism.
