The Tasmanian House of Assembly has become the third state jurisdiction in Australia to recognize the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Genocides perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia.

The motion was introduced Thursday by Lara Alexander MP—Member for Bass. Several members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly spoke in favor of the motion, including Jeremy Rocklife MP—Member for Braddon and Premier of Tasmania; Rebecca White MP—Member for Lyons and Leader of the Opposition; Cassy O’Connor MP—Member for Clarke and Leader of the Tasmanian Greens; Rosalie Woodruff MP—Member for Franklin and Dr Shane Broad MP—Member for Braddon and Shadow Treasurer.

In a major show of non-partisan support, the motion adopted acknowledged the significant humanitarian contribution conducted by the people of Tasmania to assist victims of the 1915 Genocides and recognized the importance of remembering the crimes of the past to ensure they are never repeated again.

It was carried in the affirmative and was unanimously adopted in the presence of members of the local Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek communities.

The adoption of this motion means the Tasmanian Parliament joins the New South Wales and South Australian Parliaments in recognizing the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Genocides, making it the third Australian state to recognize one of the first genocides of the 20th century.