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Trent Zimmerman MP has further amplified his career-long calls on Australia to recognise the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides by signing an affirmation of support for the Joint Justice Initiative.

The February 2020 launch of the Joint Justice Initiative at Australia's Parliament House featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), Assyrian National Committee (ANC) and Australian Hellenic Council (AHC), which declares Australia's recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides as a priority on behalf of their communities, ANC-AU reported. 

Zimmerman, who visited Armenia as part of the ANC-AU’s historic first federal delegation in 2019, represents one of the largest Armenian-Australian electorates in Australia since 2015, when he took over as Member for North Sydney from retiring former Treasurer Joe Hockey – the first Federal Australian parliamentarian of Armenian origin.

Zimmerman currently serves as the co-convenor of the Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Union (Friendship Group) and is also Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport. In a motion he championed in 2018 and on numerous occasions throughout his parliamentary career, he has called on the Federal Government to recognise the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides, as well as Australia’s first major international humanitarian relief effort to aid those who survived the terrors of 1915.

Haig Kayserian, who is the ANC-AU’s Executive Director, welcomed Zimmerman’s support on behalf of the Joint Justice Initiative.

“Mr. Trent Zimmerman is a familiar voice who has always advocated for the recognition of the injustices suffered by all peoples, and on behalf of the Armenian-Australian, Assyrian-Australian and Greek-Australian communities, we thank him for joining our communities’ Joint Justice Initiative,” Kayserian said.

The Joint Justice Initiative has so far announced the support of Zimmerman, Kristy McBain MP, Senator Rachel Siewert, Susan Templeman MP, Adam Bandt MP, Tim Wilson MP, Senator Janet Rice, Steve Georganas MP, Michael Sukkar MP, Senator Louise Pratt, Warren Entsch, Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Andrew Wilkie MP, Julian Leeser MP, Michelle Rowland MP, Senator Paul Scarr, Tony Zappia MP, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator Hollie Hughes, Senator Rex Patrick, Mike Freelander MP, Senator Eric Abetz, Senator Larissa Waters, Senator Pat Dodson, Jason Falinski MP, Josh Burns MP, John Alexander MP, Senator Andrew Bragg and Bob Katter MP with a promise of more announcements to come.

On 25th February 2020, over 100 Federal Australian parliamentarians, diplomats, departmental officials, political staffers, academics, media and community leaders were treated to cultural performances, food, wine and brandy, as well as the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which affirmed that the signatory public affairs representatives of the three communities were jointly committed to seeing Australia recognise the Turkish-committed Genocides against the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian citizens of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.