CANBERRA: The Member for Yerrabi, Mr Andrew Braddock MLA, rose in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislative Assembly, delivering a powerful 3 minute private members statement demanding recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian & Greek Genocides by the ACT Parliament and Australian Government.
The ACT Greens MP, elected in 2020 became the first ever elected official to use the words Armenian Genocide on the floor of the ACT Legislative Assembly.
In his address to fellow Members of ACT Legislative Assembly, Mr Braddock called on the ACT Parliament to recognise the 1915 Genocide. He said: “I am calling on the government to do the right thing by Armenian, Assyrian and Greek communities here in Canberra and across the world. I am calling on the ACT government to recognise the genocide perpetrated against these people and the enduring legacies to this day.”
Watch the full speech by clicking
here.
In his statement, Mr Braddock illustrated the horrific abuse and conditions that Armenians were subjected to during the Genocide, detailing how victims were raped, robbed, starved and massacred while being marched to their deaths.
He concluded the address by stating: “Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, AO KC, identified in his book, An Inconvenient Genocide, that in fact and in law, this was a genocide. I hope this Assembly will, in this term, recognise the genocide against the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek peoples.”
The speech came in the wake of the second annual Armenian and Greek Genocide Commemoration in the ACT Legislative Assembly in May 2025 and meetings with members of the ACT Legislative Assembly from across the aisle.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) commended Mr Braddock for his vocal support for recognition. On behalf of the Armenian-Australian community living in Canberra the ANC-AU, has written to the Member for Yerrabi expressing our communities sincere gratitude for bringing light to matters which concern Armenian-Australians across the ACT.
ANC-AU Executive Director, Mr Michael Kolokossian, said: “We are deeply grateful for principled leaders like Mr Braddock. His voice in the ACT Legislative Assembly reflects a moral courage that descendants of Genocide deserve. Recognising the Armenian Genocide is not just about honouring the past — it’s about protecting the future.”
Kolokossian continued, “It is critical that elected representatives take a stand on issues of historical and current injustices. When the suffering of our ancestors is ignored or denied, it lays the groundwork for history to repeat itself. We saw this just two years ago in Artsakh — and if the silence continues, we fear the same horrors will reach Armenia itself. This is not just an Armenian issue; it’s a human issue. And we need more voices like Mr Braddock’s.”
