CANBERRA: The Federal Member for Melbourne Ports, Michael Danby used a famous quote by Adolf Hitler to highlight the importance of recognising the Armenian Genocide, during an Australian Parliamentary debate on a motion marking the 70th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).

The motion that was being debated in the Australian Parliament's Federation Chamber on 3rd December 2018 was introduced by Tim Wilson and seconded by Chris Hayes, and recognised Australian involvement in the adoption and ratification of the UN Genocide Convention. It honoured Dr. Raphael Lemkin stating he "coined the word 'genocide', informed by his study of the systematic extermination of the Armenians during World War I and the Jews during World War II, and it called for "eternal vigilance of all countries, including Australia, to acknowledge past genocides as essential to stopping future genocides".

Danby, who is a proud Jewish-Australian and long-time advocate for peoples who have suffered genocide said: "It's so important to go back to the beginning and, as we recall what happened in the Second World War, to remember this genocide that happened in the First World War," said Danby. "If we don't remember these kinds of things, it leads to situations that we've seen to a lesser extent all around the world since—in Darfur, Myanmar, Syria, North Korea and now in East Kazakhstan and Xinjiang in China."

"We thank Mr. Danby for his continuing advocacy for all genocides to be recognised, as was the intention of the UN Genocide Convention," commented ANC-AU Executive Director, Haig Kayserian. "It has not gone unnoticed by Armenian-Australians that Mr. Danby has previously risen in Parliament to call out the Armenian Genocide for what it was, and he did so again during this very important debate."

Danby said in his speech: "It was Raphael Lemkin, a Jewish lawyer from Poland, who coined the term 'genocide' in response to the extent of the atrocities inflicted on the Armenian people—1½ million people, as the member for Berowra said. Apparently it wasn't understood or known before that. Of course, in that conflict with Turkey, many Greek and Assyrian people of the Ottoman Empire were equally badly affected."

"But the non-remembrance of it had a specific effect... Adolf Hitler told a leading group of Nazi generals, meeting in the days before the commencement of the Second World War, words to the effect, 'Who remembers the Armenians?' He said this phrase because it presaged what his aggressive plans in eastern Europe were. They were issued at Obersalzberg on the eve of the Second World War to say that Germany was going to launch a racial war in eastern Europe. It was not a war of nation against nation. He was assuring his generals and gauleiters that they could get away with it because of what had happened to the Armenians."



Danby also paid tribute to Herbert Vere (Doc) Evatt; one of the instrumental Australians in the adoption of the UN Genocide Convention.

"For Labor members of parliament, it's great that our then President of the UN General Assembly, Herbert Vere Evatt, who was foreign minister of Australia through the passage of the genocide convention, urged all signatories to ratify the convention at as early a date as possible," he said. "Australia was one of the first. Evatt's words were, 'The vote marked the protection of the most fundamental right of all, the very right of human groups to exist as groups'."

Danby concluded by adding his voice to calls for the Armenian Genocide to be recognised.

"The Armenian genocide remains unrecognised. Again, it was one of the great moments to see a son of Armenian heritage, Mr Joe Hockey, the former member for North Sydney, raise this, and I think it's great work by the member for Goldstein and by the Armenian National Committee to raise this issue. Well done. This is an issue that the parliament will continue to address, until we officially pass recognition of what happened to the Armenians."

Read and watch all speeches during the debate by clicking here.