The JJI - comprised of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), the Assyrian National Council -- Australia (ANCA) and the Australian Hellenic Council (AHC) - was established in 2020, when the peak public affairs bodies of the three survivor communities united to jointly advocate for federal recognition of the 1915 Genocides.
Related: The Assyrian Genocide
Throughout the day, JJI delegates met with the offices of six Senators, including Senator Fatima Payman, Senator for Western Australia; Senator David Pocock, Senator for the Australian Capital Territory; Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC, Senator for South Australia; Senator Paul Scarr, Senator for Queensland; Senator Jess Collins, Senator for New South Wales; and Senator Lidia Thorpe, Senator for Victoria.
The delegation provided an opportunity for JJI representatives to educate Parliamentarians on the history of the 1915 Genocides and Australia's military and humanitarian response, highlighting that recognition is not only vital to achieving justice and acknowledgement for the three survivor communities, but also represents an acknowledgement of one of Australia's earliest major international humanitarian responses.
The delegation also focused on building further support for federal recognition among Parliamentarians, with the JJI seeking additional signatories to the Joint Justice Initiative Accord - a growing group of Federal Parliamentarians who have publicly declared their support for federal recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
Speaking following the delegation, ANC-AU Political Affairs Director Sebastian Majarian said: "It was a privilege to join our allies from the Assyrian and Greek communities in Parliament to advocate for recognition of our shared history - not only as descendants of genocide survivors, but as Australians proud of our nation's military and humanitarian response to the 1915 Genocides."
"A central theme of our advocacy has been that recognition is not solely about achieving justice for our communities or acknowledging the immense suffering endured by our ancestors. It is also about Australia recognising its own history and celebrating the extraordinary efforts of Australian nurses, priests, servicemen and everyday citizens who answered the call to help when our communities needed it most."
"For more than a century, Australians have carried the legacy of those who sacrificed what little they had to help save lives and prevent the complete annihilation of our communities. The Australian Government's continued failure to formally recognise these genocides is therefore not only a profound injustice to the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek survivor communities; it is also a disservice to the Australians who stood with them in their darkest hour."
The Joint Justice Initiative remains steadfast in its commitment to achieving federal recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides and will continue advocating in Parliaments across Australia until the Federal Government formally recognises this important history.
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