Australia officially became the 33rd member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) at the Mondorf-les-Bains Plenary meeting on 4 June 2019.
"We look forward to the enhanced opportunities to learn from IHRA members and to share our unique perspective on Holocaust education, research and remembrance," says head of the Australian delegation Ambassador Lynette Wood. After the acceptance at the plenary, she read a statement from Foreign Minister, Senator Marise Payne, and conveyed the Australian government’s appreciation of the support of the UK delegation, led by Lord Pickles.
The IHRA Chair, Ambassador Georges Santer, welcomed Australia bringing the fifth continent into the organization. IHRA member countries noted the importance of Australia sharing its unique perspective on Holocaust education and remembrance. Australia, which took in a large number of Holocaust survivors in the aftermath of World War II, is the IHRA's first member from the Indo-Pacific region.
The Australian Delegation to the IHRA is composed of Amb. Lynette Wood and Ciaran Chestnutt (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), Dr Steven Cooke and Dr Donna-Lee Frieze (Deakin University), Professor Emerita Suzanne Rutland OAM and Dr Avril Alba (University of Sydney), from the Jewish Holocaust Centre: Pauline Rockman OAM and Suzanne Hampel OAM (also with Monash University) and Dr Andre Oboler (La Trobe University and the Online Hate Prevention Institute).
