Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

The days of these wedge motions being put to the parliament and going to a vote end now. The harm that is being done is beyond belief. To be telling people, when there is a government calling for ceasefire, that somehow it is calling for conflict is deliberate misinformation. I don't see why misinformation coming from the Left is somehow noble when misinformation coming from the Right is so wrong. People in our electorates genuinely have real fear of what is happening. For them, it is not a political game.

I put this one point: when the resolution was put on a suspension of standing orders from the Greens political party last time, it was a procedural motion. The question of recognition was never before this parliament, and yet the Greens chose to message something to Australia and to the world that was inaccurate. And they got headlines around the world that hurt the Palestinian cause but helped the Greens harvest votes. What sort of party, on an issue like that, makes a decision to harvest their own votes? I move:

That the debate be adjourned.

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