Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Over the break I, like many members of this House, received regular emails from constituents concerned about what is happening in the Middle East—concerned about what is happening in Gaza. I also received delegations and people wanting to speak to me about the ongoing crisis and conflict in Myanmar. They're two conflicts that are front and centre for so many in our community, although I do want to note that sometimes Myanmar is talked about less, which it shouldn't be, and I'll explain a bit later why that's a particular grievance of mine.

From the outset, I want to say that I acknowledge that the war in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel—what's happening in Palestine and Israel—is hard for many. It is hard for many to watch what is happening. It is clear from our Prime Minister's engagement with the countries and aid organisations in the region that, whilst Australia has never been a central player in the Middle East, our voice is respected. I want to acknowledge the efforts that Prime Minister has made in relation to supporting the region with the aid that is required and trying to be that voice. I want to say something to the people in my electorate who regularly engage: it's important, whilst you might be passionate, upset and alarmed, to be respectful—respectful of others who may have a different view and respectful of people who may work in my office. Just remember that point. Australia doesn't have a central role to play, but we are a voice. We are seen to be an honest, pro-peace country that cares about the humanitarian crisis that is rolling out.

I think it's important in this conflict to remember the history, and it is quite similar to Myanmar's in some ways. I guess because of my background I anecdotally say we could just blame the British, which isn't fair, but there is something in that. In 1920, the British assumed responsibility for Palestine under a League of Nations mandate. They had been in Burma for 100 years prior to that. The British gave independence to the Myanmar people in 1948 following the end of the Second World War. At about the same time, they gave up their mandate in Palestine. They kind of left the people in both of those countries to fight it out. History asks us: was that the right thing to do? Here we are 75 years later, and we have two nations which the British were involved in and had ruled, yet they're still at war, and civilians' lives are being lost. I'm not saying that we shouldn't have granted them the opportunity for self-determination and self-governing, but what could we have done better as the West? What could the British have done better when they left?

I raise this in a very personal way because my grandfather, at the end of the Second World War, after serving with the British Army in Europe, was sent to Palestine. He never spoke much about his experiences in mainland Europe, but he did speak a lot about what he saw, what he did and what his experiences were in Palestine before Israel was created. Whilst I didn't get to meet him, these are the stories from my mother. I think it's fair to say that it broke him. He was dead less than 15 years later. He and his young family migrated to Australia after he finished his service. He attempted suicide, and then cancer got him a few years later. Those scars remained with him, and his scars were passed on to my mother. So I stand here saying that I grew up in a house where, when it would come up on TV, I constantly heard another side of the story, about just how terribly sad and heartbreaking it was. I think that that's where some of the hopelessness is coming from in the community. This isn't a new conflict. This isn't a shock to the system. It's an old story on repeat, yet we are losing more lives—another generation of young Palestinians, and another generation of grandparents and grandmothers. Innocents are being lost in this conflict.

Equally, we can say the same about Myanmar since the coup that occurred there just over three years ago. In Myanmar, over 4,000 people that we know of have been documented to have been killed since the most recent coup, and 25,000 people have been arrested. There have been claims of deliberate blocking of humanitarian aid from reaching millions of people. I have a big Karen community in my electorate who have close connections back to the Karen State. Whilst they somewhat have self-determination at the moment, they are constantly being attacked and bombarded by their own military. What's so heartbreaking about Myanmar is that it was only a few years ago that we were celebrating their transition to democracy. People from this place went to be UN observers in their election vote. Our own AEC worked with their electoral commission to make sure it was free and fair. So to see a democracy collapse so quickly is for many quite heartbreaking, and I know there is lots of concern for the many people left behind. We can't take everybody, but what can we be doing to help advocate for peace in the region?

When it comes to the way forward in the Middle East, I do stand with other colleagues calling for a permanent, immediate ceasefire. As demonstrated by our vote in the United Nations, Australia is part of a diplomatic effort supporting an immediate and humanitarian ceasefire. We see that as a crucial step towards a pathway to a permanent ceasefire. Like many ceasefires, though, this cannot be one-sided. We also require Hamas to cease their attacks and to release the hostages. We also stand against the violence by Israeli settlers in parts of Palestine. We have made it very clear that the violence must cease, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. We are a government and a parliament that still believes strongly in a two-state solution. If we think back to that history, 75 years ago, it was always envisioned that there would be two states—a Palestinian state and an Israeli state. We do need to keep talking about that opportunity so that people can have peace and live together. Australia is urging these humanitarian pauses so that we can get assistance in. I do feel deeply for the aid agencies that are trying to do what they can. Thirty thousand civilians are estimated to be lost. The damage that we see on our TVs daily is a reminder of the human toll and cost of this conflict.

Whilst in my grievance debate tonight I've raised two conflicts, I know they are not the only two. We still think of the people of Ukraine, and we think of the people of Afghanistan. In all of these conflicts, it's the civilians who lose everything and then are left to try to rebuild. We have a challenge—the UN, the West and free democratic countries that believe in democracy—to continue to promote the idea of democracy and to see that growth within other countries. We do have a challenge, and I just ask the people of my electorate to think longer term. Think about the efforts that we can make to support people today but also about how we are calling for long-term peace in these areas. We do not want the parliament in 75 years time to be standing here saying: "A hundred-and-50 years ago this started, and we still haven't brought about a peaceful solution. We haven't supported peace being achieved—that lasting, enduring peace being achieved in Myanmar and both Palestine and Israel.'

I want to thank the people who've reached out to me about this issue, and I want to let them know that I'll continue to listen and continue to engage.

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