Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Running through the dirt and dust to try to find refuge from rockets and guns, the young Israelis who, moments before, were enjoying a festival, were suddenly trying to take refuge in a horrible, murderous situation. They were just out to enjoy themselves. Then they were watching their friends die before their eyes, some being kidnapped. There are harrowing stories of playing dead to avoid being killed. These stories will never leave our hearts, and they should never leave our minds. There are stories of children and babies being shielded by their parents, of women being raped and dragged naked through the streets—the horrors of what Hamas did to innocent Israelis. It's abhorrent, it's inhumane and it's evil. These actions should be condemned by everyone in this country and, surely, in this House.

Hamas do not want peace. They are a terrorist organisation that seeks to end Israel. We must show our utmost support for Israel in their darkest times. I rise to support the motion moved by the Prime Minister this morning and the opposition leader's comments on the atrocious conflict caused by many Hamas militants and inflicted on innocent Israelis. The breaching of security barriers by Hamas and the ongoing slew of rockets from Gaza happened on a Jewish holiday. Professional footage by Hamas that was distributed to the world as a badge of pride for their barbarism is sickening to watch. We are still in shock and despair that we see ourselves in the midst of yet another attack on Israel, which is an attack on the Jewish community across the world. I know the Jewish community in my electorate of Lindsay is really hurting right now. It is incumbent on all of us in this House to support the State of Israel and to ensure it lives on forever. As a multicultural and multifaith nation, Australia seeks to ensure a safe and harmonious place for everyone across the world.

The handling of the protest last week at the Opera House was a disgrace. The individuals who protested in an undignified way caused distress to Sydney's Jewish community, who wanted to safely attend the Opera House to see the Israeli flag and to pray for their families who are in Israel. In this conflict, we recognise the civilians who are casualties on both sides of this war. Hamas's attack on innocent civilians was a direct and blatant provocation. Israel has a right to self-defence. Israel has a right to deter acts of aggression, coercion and interference. We are now seeing strategic operations being undertaken so that future attacks on Israel and its people do not occur.

We need to remember that Hamas entered Israel and has taken over 100 hostages. They killed hundreds of young people who were attending a music festival for peace, caused destruction, murdered thousands and caused chaos. Think of the mass destruction of Israel that could have taken place were it not for the Iron Dome defence system and the United States's financial and moral support for that system to ensure the Jewish community and its state are protected. America acutely understands what happened to Israel, given what happened on 9/11. At that time, as those planes terribly crashed into the towers and into the Pentagon, America then had the right to unequivocally defend itself. Likewise, I reiterate that now Israel has that same right too.

Should Israel request particular support, we need to ensure that countries oblige in order to enhance defence measures for the State of Israel and its citizens, such as ammunitions and specialist support. It is what we would expect from the international community. It is what we have done recently for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia. We know that around 10,000 Australians are currently in Israel, and we want them to be home and to be safe. It is right that the government works swiftly to encourage and arrange repatriation flights for our citizens in the conflict zone who wish to return to Australia. There is precedent for this from previous governments, and we need this support to continue for as long as it is possible and for as long as it is needed.

Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I want to acknowledge the deep distress and anxiety among those in the large Jewish community in Goldstein. Everyone I've spoken to from within our Jewish community has a connection to family or friends directly affected by the Hamas terror attacks on Israel the week before last. There are a range of views in the community about what Israel's response should be, but the sense of distress about what happened and what happens next is uniform.

Let me be clear: Hamas is a terrorist organisation. The atrocities it committed in Israel are war crimes, including the horrific and indiscriminate slaughter of entire Jewish communities. The taking of hostages, elderly civilians as well as children and infants, is a breach of international law. Hamas should release them without conditions immediately. I've also communicated to Palestinian advocates in Australia that applauding the deaths of innocent people is abhorrent and will derail any hope for a return to peace, and I condemn it. The Israeli people have a right to live in safety and security, and Israel has a right to self-defence. However, that response must be carefully calibrated with the safety of civilians front of mind and within the dictates of international law, the laws of war, and in line with international conventions on human rights.

I've already appealed for Israel to reconsider its decision to block humanitarian supplies to Gaza, a form of collective punishment, which appears to be in breach of international law. Calls for a humanitarian corridor are backed by the UN and the United States. The rules of war are clear: one inhumane act does not justify another, and the safety of civilians is paramount. I'm pleased that, in a sign of humanitarian concern, Israel has decided to restore some water supplies to southern Gaza. I'm aware that for many Jewish people these acts of humanitarianism will require unprecedented empathy considering the horrors that Hamas has committed. I will also say again: Palestinian civilians are not Hamas. I am appalled at reports that Hamas has encouraged Palestinian civilians in Gaza to stay put in the north. This is tantamount to Hamas turning the people of Gaza into human shields. It is mediaeval in the contempt for human life, as is the holding of Israeli hostages, including small children and the elderly, also being used as human shields.

As a foreign correspondent, I reported from trouble spots around the world, wherever possible drawing attention to human rights. I've continued to do so as an MP. The reality is that actions in times of war disproportionally affect civilians and, in this case, if not carefully executed, will and are causing untold death and destruction, potentially not only in Gaza and again in Israel but across a region that is always on a knife edge. This is a clear and present danger.

I have seen the results of conflict—the destruction, people missing limbs, bodies wrapped in shrouds, the grief of those left behind, the squalid camps full of the displaced and the traumatised. I speak with sincerity from the dark places where I hide these memories, with genuine concern for all people, and I grieve deeply for those affected in my own community, touched by the terror that has reached from Israel to Goldstein. My want is for that to end here.

I note, too, the impact on children, who are being exposed to these brutal events on social media, with algorithms feeding them videos that no-one should see. I've raised this with the communications minister and I welcome the efforts of the eSafety Commissioner, who has reminded the digital platforms that they have a legal responsibility to remove such content—content which I know our children, my teenagers among them, are inadvertently being exposed to as they seek to understand what is happening.

I appreciate the efforts of the foreign minister in trying to assure those who want to leave that they have a way of getting out of Israel, and of her staff in addressing my representations on behalf of those in my community who have loved ones who are stranded, including children who are on gap years.

I know from my experience of reporting from around the world—from Africa, Asia and the Americas—that information is everything. I appeal to the government to make updates to information on the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories as timely as possible. It is also profoundly important to step people who've never been in such dire circumstances before through the processes for registration for exit, and for their safety in the meantime.

Many in the Jewish community in Goldstein feel anxious and have concerns for their safety at the best of times, and these are far from the best of times. It was not so long ago, within the last few months, that a group of Jewish school students on a bus on their way home were threatened with a knife and subject to antisemitic abuse. Now students are being advised not to wear their uniforms and police have stepped up visibility and patrols around Jewish institutions. Some schools are said to be considering a return to remote learning.

I thank Victoria Police for their engagement with me and my office—close engagement that will continue, because we must keep our community safe. There is no room for either antisemitism or Islamophobia. I welcome the government's announcement that security grants will be fast-tracked. I know that will be gratefully received in my community. I've spoken to major Jewish organisations within Goldstein and nationally. In the last week I've attended gatherings to mourn the worst loss of life in Israel since its establishment seven decades ago.

I note that Australia was instrumental in its foundation, with then foreign minister Doc Evatt taking the lead as chair of the relevant United Nations committee, leading to its international acknowledgement. Doc Evatt was President of the General Assembly when resolution 273 was adopted, admitting Israel to the UN. Australia was the first nation to vote in favour. He was President when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted and when the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was passed. So Australia had a big part to play in the establishment both of Israel and of the international rules designed to make the world a safer place after World War II and the unparalleled horrors of the Holocaust. This international order stands and must be adhered to by all sides today.

I recently had the honour of visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories as a member of a cross-party official parliamentary delegation funded by the Australian government. My visit reinforced my view that only genuine dialogue can create progress and peace. But, even then, that dialogue seemed further off than ever, amid a leadership void in the Palestinian territories and an understandable sense of fatigue and frustration in Israel. I remain a supporter of a two-state solution as the best way to ensure Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security. How we get there from here, though, is a question with no obvious answer. Australia remains committed to multilateralism, and we must make our best effort with all those with influence in the Middle East to bring the protagonists back from the brink of war and to the negotiating table.

As I said, every member of the 15,000-strong Jewish community in Goldstein has been touched by the tragic events of the last week. I say to those in my community: I know you are not a homogenous group; I know you have differing views; I know some of you will disagree with my positions in one way or the other. But know this: as someone who has borne witness to the horrors of conflict and terrorism, I speak from a position of deeply sincere care and I will represent you, particularly to ensure you get what you need from the government in these shocking circumstances, with absolute diligence and sincerity.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the parliament for the opportunity to make some remarks on what has been the extraordinary and shocking level of violence that we saw inflicted on innocent men, women and children 10 days ago in Israel.

I cannot express strongly enough how powerfully our government condemns the violence that has led to the unnecessary deaths of men, women and children in Israel. This is a terrorist attack which is profoundly wrong and inhuman, and the vile way in which innocent people, who have no role in a conflict, were treated is just beyond belief. What we saw was a bunch of incidents which echo the darkest days of modern history. I won't go into the gory detail of some of what was perpetrated because the parliament doesn't need to, again, hear about what have been horrendous crimes committed against Israeli people and against humanity.

It's really important that we acknowledge that there are people in our community and even people in our parliament who are having a deeply personal experience of what has occurred over recent days. I want to acknowledge the Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, the son of a Holocaust survivor. I want to acknowledge Josh Burns, my dear friend, the member for Macnamara, and the representative of what I presume to be the largest Australian Jewish community in our country. I want to acknowledge Mike Freelander, a Jewish Australian and someone who is a fierce advocate for his local community in Western Sydney. Like most Jewish Australians, they feel what has happened here so deeply and so keenly. To see people attacked for their religion is a horrible and terrifying thing but particularly for this community and particularly given the history. I want to thank those three people in particular for the leadership that they've shown and for the advice that they've given me over recent days about how to handle this matter.

Our local Jewish community is feeling this incredibly keenly. I was really pleased to join with people from across this parliament to attend a vigil last Friday night with the Jewish Australian community in Caulfield. This is a community that is extremely tender, fearful and anxious. What they did last Friday night was give an expression of their spirituality, religion and community and gathered together to grieve in a public place. This was not an easy thing for some people in that community to do and it showed great courage and bravery. It was my privilege to be there, to stand alongside them, as they grieved for the loss of what's occurred.

I want to speak briefly to the fear and anxiety that I know is being felt, in particular in Jewish Australian communities at the moment, and to say as home affairs minister: 'I hear those concerns and anxieties.' I've sat with people in recent days who have told me that they're too afraid to send their children to their Jewish school, that there are young people who will not put on their Jewish school uniform at the moment because they are so fearful of antisemitism, of violence and attacks. I want the community to understand that I hear that message.

I want you to know something that's been expressed really clearly to me by our national security officials in this country, and that is that there is nothing to suggest that we need to change the terror threat level at the moment in our country. Our terror threat level was at 'possible' two weeks ago. It is still at 'possible' today. The analysis has been conducted specifically with reference to the Jewish Australian community, and the answer is the same: the terror threat level remains at 'possible'. Our agencies are amazing. They are full of the most clever, thoughtful people that I've ever come across in my life, but they're not all-seeing and all-knowing, so I'm not saying that nothing bad can, or will, happen here.

But what I want you to know is that despite that lack of change to our terror threat level, what has changed is the extent of vigilance, activity and care that is being taken to address national security concerns as of today. That's being driven by the general sense of understanding amongst our national security apparatus here in the federal government and at the state level about how scared people are right now. I want you to know that we are very well-served in our country by mature arrangements around counterviolence and counterterrorism across the Commonwealth and the states and that we have some very, very experienced, very clever people who are working at the moment, throughout the weekend, throughout the night, to try to do everything they can to keep our country safe. I know I speak for everyone in the parliament when I express my deep gratitude to the people who come to work every day with the sole purpose of trying to protect their fellow Australians and their fellow citizens.

I want to address, specifically, the evil of Hamas in what is an act of unbelievable violence which will only beget more violence and only hurt the people that Hamas pretends to represent. Hamas is of course a listed terrorist organisation in Australia. They have committed heinous, inhuman, disgusting crimes against Israelis. They have also committed disgraceful crimes against Palestinians. They have done that because they have now retreated back into Gaza and are using innocent people who live in Gaza as human shields. I was just disgusted to see, with the Israeli government having indicated that people should evacuate northern Gaza, that Hamas is sending a message to not evacuate. If we had any question about the sort of people that we are dealing with, then that says it all.

We know that Gaza is a densely populated place, about half the size of Canberra, where two million people live. We know that this is a population of people who are young. A very large share of the population there are children, and what Hamas have done is put those people in danger. That is a disgraceful, disgusting betrayal—violence begetting more violence. What Hamas have also done is set back the cause of peace and statehood for Palestinians; they've set it back a long way. There are legitimate aspirations that Palestinians have for their own state. We are far further away from that than we were 10 days ago, and Hamas is responsible for that.

There are people across our country who are going to feel very deeply about what has occurred in the Middle East and what will occur in the Middle East. I've spoken about Jewish Australians, but let me address some comments for Muslim Australians and people of Middle Eastern heritage for whom deaths in Gaza are going to be felt just as personally, just as deeply and with as much grief as Israelis feel about the deaths of people in their country. I want communities across this country to know that the Australian government stands with communities when they are grieving the innocent loss of life. There is more loss of life to come, and I say that with a heavy heart. I'm here next to my friend the Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Sport, and we've both got young children. I know we'll keep our children away from the television for the next few months because what is to come is something that no child should have to witness.

We are very lucky in our country to live in a beautiful multicultural country. There's no God-given reason why our country should work and be so prosperous, cohesive and beautiful in the way that it does function. I think about my community, where people who come from countries which have been at war for many years now live alongside me as neighbours and friends whose children go to school together, whose kids play sport together and whose parents have tea together. That is a beautiful thing. It is a beautiful thing about our country.

Now we have important obligations to think about what we can do for each other as Australians to protect and defend the social fabric which underpins this. I'd say to every member of parliament that it starts with the people in this room. As parliamentarians, we are a microcosm of our nation. We have different religions, different backgrounds, different spiritualities and different life experiences here in this parliament, and the Australian people are looking to us at the moment to consider how they should handle what is going on around the world. I'd say to parliamentarians that we can do ourselves and our nation a great service by treating each other with dignity, respect, honesty, care and love. They're looking to us for cues about how to manage this issue, and I think that if we behave well towards one another then we're doing a great thing for our country.

Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the motion. The last 10 days have been a terrible, dark time not only for the people of Israel but for millions of people around the world who are in mourning and in shock. The terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israeli citizens and civilians is the worst and most brutal atrocity experienced by Jewish people since the Shoa. More than 1,300 Israelis have died, and 3½ thousand have been wounded. Every single family in Israel has been touched by this tragedy. Scores of people are still hostages: children, women and grandparents. In the words of a Holocaust prayer:

May the memories of all who faced these horrors

Be sanctified with joy and love.

May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,

A living blessing in our midst.

I wish I had time to read all the names of the dead, to properly pay my respects and pray for them and their families. Instead, I will share the names of some of those who perished. Shani Louk, who was 30 years old, was one of the over 260 people at the Nova music festival who were mercilessly murdered. Tamar and Yonatan Kedem and their twin daughters, Shahar and Arbel, who were six, and their son, Ohmer, who was four, fled to their safe room when the attacks began but were murdered by Hamas militants. Hannah Ben-Artzi, who was 69, was killed in Kfar Aviv by a rocket when she was trying to open a public shelter for people without access to shelters in their homes. Arab Israeli paramedic Awad Darwesh, a Muslim who courageously stayed to treat the injured, was murdered at the music festival. Sydney-born 66-year-old Australian Galit Carbone was found dead outside her home in a kibbutz in southern Israel. Our hearts go out to them and especially to the families and friends of those who are still missing and those who are in captivity.

As I put my children to bed at night, I think of the parents who did this without knowing what the morning would bring and those who don't know if they children are still alive.

This conflict is far from over. There has already been a tragic loss of civilians on both sides. I urge everyone to reach out to their friends and loved ones who may be struggling during these times, and offer support and comfort.

This conflict may be far away, but it touches the country very deeply and particularly my community of Wentworth. Every member of the Jewish community in Wentworth, which is the largest Jewish community in the country, and many members of the broader community have been shaken and personally affected. They are traumatised. Many have returned or are trying to return from Israel now. They have lost friends and family members. They have family members who were taken hostage and they are agonisingly waiting for news.

I am deeply concerned that we are also seeing acts of hate and antisemitism in our own community. Since last weekend, nearly 200 people have emailed me and my team, feeling unsafe and shaken, especially after the disturbing antisemitic incident that occurred at the Sydney Opera House. One woman told me about how she was in one of the buildings in the CBD as people were marching down to the opera house and saying slogans, some of which have been repeated today in the parliament. She was scared, and so many of my Jewish community in Wentworth are scared.

Condoning violence and celebrating attacks on innocent civilians is unacceptable. It is not part of this country. In the words of a very good friend of mine, 'Australia is scary, which is awful, as it's possibly one of the best places in the world to be Jewish.' All of us in this place must speak with one voice in saying that this is unacceptable, and we must ensure that those who are at risk of harm here are reminded through our words and deeds that they are safe, they are welcome and they are part of our community.

On Wednesday evening I was honoured to stand alongside thousands of my community in Dover Heights, in solidarity with Israel. It was a solemn and moving evening but also a reminder that, despite the horrors that have occurred, this community stands strong and is proud to be Jewish.

At Edgecliff station last week, I met a young Jewish woman who was wearing a Star of David necklace. She told me that she felt scared—scared to be so openly Jewish at a time when the consequences of hate have become so abundantly clear. But she also felt determined—determined not to stay inside; determined not to let fear dictate how she lived; determined not to hide her identity, her courage and her strength. The courage of a community that has suffered so much for so long is inspiring, and it needs to inspire us as Australians to action: local action to support members of our community who are suffering, and international action to support an ally that has been mercilessly attacked—a country who shares our commitment to democracy and a society that shares our values.

Israel has an inherent and fundamental right to defend itself and safeguard its citizens against those horrifying acts of terror. Do not be mistaken. These are not acts of resistance. Australia must stand with Israel at this difficult time, alongside so many other countries around the world.

People should not let sympathy for the Palestinians' legitimate aspiration for statehood, which is a very legitimate aspiration and one that I share—I share the aspiration for a state of Israel and a state of Palestine that are free and secure, alongside each other—blind them to the fact that Hamas remains dedicated to a world where Israel does not exist. Many of my Jewish community, while mourning their own, have expressed their deep concern about the impact of this horrific attack on Palestinian civilians. I share those concerns very deeply. This has created a tragedy for all of those living in Israel and Gaza.

Hamas and its backers are recklessly pursuing their interests rather than those of the Palestinian people. It is Hamas and its backers—and I will call out Iran in this, because it is part of what has happened here—that are using civilians as shields. Hamas cannot be a partner for peace in the Middle East.

We continue to pray for the welfare of those who are currently being held in captivity and to wish a complete recovery to those who have been wounded. Um Yis-ra-elle hai.

Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia enjoys a degree of social cohesion that is the envy of the world. Our peaceful life here is adorned with totems of our multicultural heritage—food from every corner of the world, temples, synagogues, mosques, churches, Indigenous place names and art. Most importantly it is the kaleidoscope of faces converging in our schools, sporting fields, workplaces and indeed our own parliament. Our interconnectedness means that attacks on any one group of our Australian family is an attack on us all. Australia is a bright spot in an increasingly polarised and unstable world. It is not, however, immune to forces beyond our shores. Events overseas have sent shockwaves that have rippled through our community, but those ripples can gather force, tearing at our social fabric, depending on how we as leaders and as a community respond.

The terrorist attacks in Israel by Hamas have sent shockwaves around the world, including into my own community. These attacks on innocent Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, nonresidents from around the world, adults and children, men and women, from babies through to the very old, were barbaric and have been described by Jews as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It is incomprehensible to see babies held hostage, separated from their mothers.

Every Jewish constituent I've spoken to in the last week has been affected. People are toggling between rage and grief and despair. They are in shock, emotionally exhausted, and they feel helpless. This is an intergenerational trauma in the making. They have lost loved ones or know of people who have. Some have been separated from families, others are worried sick for loved ones who have been called up for active duty. These are cousins, sons and daughters, reservists and defence personnel. It is harrowing for all involved and harrowing to witness. It's vicarious trauma beaming throughout the world.

Israel's response was swift. A state of war was declared, troops were mobilised, and the counteroffensive began. The counternarrative was equally swift. This is about the oppression of Palestinians in the largest open-air prison in the world. This is about Palestinian self-determination. This is about a 16-year-old blockade in Gaza, with an undercurrent that Jews are somehow co-conspirators in this tragedy. It is grotesque.

The pretext for these abhorrent attacks by Hamas was the liberation of the Palestinian people. How is that credible when these attacks have irrevocably harmed the cause of the Palestinian people, setting back their cause years if not longer? They are now fleeing for their lives from an Israeli bombardment that was predictable and predictably overwhelming. There are no winners—none at all—when violence is the currency and lives the collateral.

I have some understanding of the deep mistrust and entrenched enmity between these sides. I went to Israel on a cross-party parliamentary delegation with the Speaker in late July. It was a non-stop listening tour, an immersive experience, like a semester's worth of knowledge crammed into one week. I understand that emotions are running high, that both sides are demanding to be heard and to be seen. I urge people who regale me at the shops or fill up my inbox to hold your judgement and instead hold your fellow Australians' hands. It is too early to be moralising when bombs are raining down and tears flow like a flood.

I denounce the antisemitism we have witnessed in the aftermath of the Hamas attack. I am unwilling to repeat what has been said. I can't actually bring myself to do so because it is so poisonous. We have seen some reprehensible behaviour at a protest early on in Sydney, but fortunately nothing in the last few days in large protests in Melbourne and Sydney, which were peaceful and, largely, respectful. Let's keep it that way, even when things go from bad to worse overseas. For my 6½ thousand Jewish constituents, hate speech and the prancing of cowardly Neo-Nazis with their salutes and concealed faces in our public places are a direct threat to their sense of belonging and to their sense of attachment with our community. It is deeply destabilising, and it triggers memories of the Holocaust—an intergenerational trauma that is baked into the DNA of the Jewish people and Israel.

The banning of the Nazi salute by the Victorian government and the imminent introduction of the Albanese government's counterterrorism bill banning the display of Nazi symbols is timely and will make those groups pause before they act. Jewish constituents have been advised to send their children to school in plain clothes. Some are wondering, when they drop off their children, whether they will see them again. Some have even removed visible accoutrements denoting their Jewish identity. They are worried for their safety in public places and also at public gatherings or vigils which are being held in solidarity with Israel and to support one another.

But antisemitism hurts us all. It ripples beyond the Jewish community, destabilising the wellbeing of the entire community. Why? It's because we are a multicultural nation, with 50 per cent of us either having been born overseas or having a parent who was born overseas. Many of the waves of migrants coming to Australia fled wars themselves. Those memories endure in them and in their children. Migrants have all encountered racism. I—we—know what it's like. Others have experienced discrimination based on attributes like gender, age, disability, sexuality or ancestry. No-one should feel like they do not belong in Australia. An attack on one is an attack on us all. This is why hate speech and hateful behaviour have no place in our country. Leave them at the door. In the midst of this is the fog of misinformation, with social media as the smoke machine. Add generative AI to the mix, and we have a really dangerous situation where we start to question what our eyes are seeing. Is it real or is it fake? Refrain from the hot takes from everyone except trusted sources. As this conflict escalates, there are lots of reasons to tighten up our misinformation laws, as we in the Albanese government intend to do.

Then there is the responsibility of leaders. As I said in my first speech:

… I have watched with alarm as words used in this chamber ricochet around the country, tearing at our social fabric. Spillover effects are acts of hate on our streets against Asians, Jews, Muslims, people of colour, the gender diverse. And the gun gets fired here. We have a choice. We can accept the politics of division or devalue that currency to junk.

I have been disturbed at the sight of those opposite using the unfolding war in Israel as a means to prove their allegiance to Jews. Tough talk plays to populist politics that those opposite are addicted to, but that is not leadership. Using political rhetoric as a competition for loyalty only risks inflaming domestic tensions. A war is no time for chest beating for political advantage. There are no winners here.

To our Jewish community, you know our sincerity. We were there with you at the birth of your nation. Know our responsibility also to you and our wider community in keeping our Australian family safe. If we are all safe, then you also will be safe. My priority is to protect my community and maintain social cohesion so that mums can drop their kids off at school and students can attend uni without fear; so that people can attend their synagogues or mosques without fear of reprisals; and so that Australians can wear the hijab or the kippah without fear.

Arab constituents, including Palestinians, are also worried sick. Like the Jewish people, they are angry, grieving and despairing. Palestinian aspirations for self-determination are legitimate, but they have been let down. They have been let down and abandoned by a terrorist organisation that is treating them as pawns in a grand power play. It is the height of treachery. They are suffering and will suffer more in the coming days to weeks. There are no winners. Israel will defend herself, as she must, and she will retaliate, as she should. We, including many Israelis, the Jewish diaspora and Australians, are rightly concerned about the prospect of mass casualties in Gaza. I'm also concerned about Islamophobic rhetoric here.

We urge the protection of civilian lives and join others in calling for Israel to operate by the rules of international law. We have provided an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance to Gazans. We call for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access for those civilians.

The hell of war is unfolding in all its devastation, but my task is to keep that hell away from our doorstep. It is not welcome here and nor are microaggressions or aggressions overt or covert in our workplaces, sporting teams, faith groups, streets, schools or online. Now is the time we lock as Australians and support each other. Hold the judgement. Hold the hot takes. Now is not the time for that. Now is the time to hold each other and seek out differing perspectives even if they are uncomfortable. Reach out to people affected of any ethnic or religious persuasion and offer support. Be an ally. That is the Australian way. I thank the House.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with other members of the House in offering my deepest condolences to the people of Israel during this unimaginably difficult period, and I condemn the unconscionable violence carried out by the brutal terrorists of Hamas.

As the member for Bradfield, I am proud to represent the federal electorate with the second largest Jewish community in New South Wales. I am proud to represent a community that is home to four synagogues and a Jewish school. That community, of course, is devastated by what is taking place. Last Monday, I attended a prayer evening at one of our local synagogues, Kehillat Masada. It was profoundly moving. The service was organised by four synagogues coming together—Kehillat Masada, Chabad North Shore, North Shore Synagogue and Cremorne Synagogue—and we were joined as well by worshippers from other local synagogues and synagogues across Sydney, including North Shore Temple Emanuel. Over recent days I have been told by a number of Jewish constituents of friends, family members or others known to them directly or indirectly who have been killed, injured or abducted in Israel. What is happening is very direct and immediate in its impact on Australia's Jewish community.

The attacks by Hamas in Israel were shocking, they were violent and they deserve absolute condemnation. To kill, injure and take hostage innocent and unarmed men, women and children is a violation of every principle of morality, of decency and of respect for human dignity. It is reported that more than 1,300 people have been killed in Israel so far. Some of those who were abducted are presently hostages, experiencing unimaginable terror. The victims of these attacks have also included citizens of other countries, including Australia. The depraved and horrific nature of much of this violence, including sexual violence and deliberate harm to young children, is sickening. Actions like this are pure barbarism. They have been carried out by terrorists whose creed is defined by evil and hatred. Their mission is to destroy vibrant communities and to cause misery. These attacks are an attack on civilisation. They're an attack on fundamental human values.

Of course, that such violence should be visited among Jewish people is a chilling reminder of the evils of the Holocaust. Once again, Jewish people have been killed and injured specifically because of hatred for their religion. To see equivocation on these issues by some Australian politicians over the past week and a half has been inexplicable. Regardless of one's political affiliations, violence of this nature must be condemned. It's unjustifiable. It's inexcusable. To see a small minority of Australians actively celebrating these violent and dehumanising attacks has been disgusting. The actions of protesters in Sydney last Monday evening were disgusting.

Australia is one of the world's most successful multicultural, multiracial and multi-ethnic societies. That success has been achieved through hard work over many decades with the strong support of both major political parties and the goodwill and efforts of millions of Australians. Our success, our continued success, depends on all Australians being committed to mutual respect, to mutual tolerance and to mutual understanding. My electorate is a microcosm of Australia in this regard. As I mentioned, it has four synagogues; I have visited all of them on multiple occasions. Of course there are multiple churches in my electorate. And there is a Sikh temple, or gurdwara, and at least one Buddhist temple. Recently, I was pleased to visit the Hornsby Dawah Community Service—the Hornsby Masjid—a centre for people of Islamic faith in my electorate and surrounding areas. I know that the good people who worship at the synagogues in my electorate are concerned about the safety of innocent Palestinian people in Gaza. I know that, equally, the people who worship at the Hornsby Masjid want to see peace, safety and security for all. And I know that, despite the actions of a small number of people last Monday night, the overwhelming majority of Australians want to see Israeli people safe and people in Gaza safe.

I express my strong support for the state of Israel, the people of Israel, the Jewish people and Jewish Australians, including, of course, my Jewish constituents in Bradfield, and all who are suffering at the hands of Hamas. I express my strong support for Israel's acts of self defence. Israel is a vigorous multiparty democracy, a beacon of freedom around the world, and it is the homeland of the Jewish people. I call on the Australian government to provide strong and clear support for the government of Israel as it works to restore order and defend its citizens. I call for continued work towards a lasting two-state solution, with the peaceful coexistence of two independent nations. Amongst the many reasons to be appalled by these violent terrorist attacks by Hamas is that they have grievously set back progress towards that lasting peace.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the courage and leadership of the representative bodies of the Australian Jewish community, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies and the many other bodies. I close by saying that I am confident that despite the extraordinary challenges and the very difficult times ahead, the values embodied in the state of Israel—of civilisation, of education, of faith, of tolerance and of democracy—will prevail.

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia stands against terrorism and we stand in solidarity with Israel. The Australian government unequivocally condemns the horrific violence that we have seen: indiscriminate rocket fire, the brutal targeting of civilians and the taking of hostages. Over 1,300 civilians in Israel have been murdered by Hamas and as many as 150 taken hostage in Gaza, with much of the barbarism broadcast by the butchers to a horrified world—the elderly, babies, mums and dads murdered in their homes. Young people, dancers, were gunned down at a music festival, as were citizens from more than 30 nations, including a beloved Australian grandmother, Galit Carbone. May her memory be a blessing.

We grieve deeply with all of those who have lost loved ones. We know that so many people in our Australian community are mourning what has happened. So many are fearful for friends and family who are still at risk. There is the unimaginable pain of witnessing the worst loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, but in Israel itself—the very territory intended to provide a safe haven.

These events reopen profound historical wounds, and we understand how that brings back trauma—old traumas, generational traumas—for so many. There is absolutely no context that can justify the violence and depravity that we have seen perpetrated by Hamas against civilians. These are the heinous acts of terrorists and unconscionable breaches of international law. The slaughter and kidnapping of children and other innocents cannot be celebrated by any moral human being. I call urgently for the release of all hostages, some of whom, as we have seen, are small children. I reiterate Israel's right to defend itself, to ensure the security of its people and to prevent such an attack from ever taking place again.

Hamas is a listed terrorist group. It has long advocated the destruction of the state of Israel and the eradicate of Jews. Not only do its actions hurt Israelis, but it has long exploited the community in Gaza for protection, hiding behind civilians and civilian infrastructure in facilities like schools, apartment buildings and hospitals. As a result, so many Palestinian families are suffering through no fault of their own. Nearly half of the population of Gaza is under 18; they're children. We know that Hamas does not speak for ordinary Palestinians, but instead it hides behind them. Hamas is also seeking to prevent the departure of foreign nationals from Gaza in callous tactics that show us the cruel nature of the group that we are dealing with.

These are serious times that call for serious leadership. When faced with such horrendous events, in this place we are called upon to rise to the occasion, to speak clearly about what's occurred and to bring our community together in solidarity. That is why it is essential that we clearly condemn Hamas and its terrorist attacks. Hamas does not seek peace. Among the many other tragedies caused by these attacks, we recognise that Hamas's actions have set back the cause of peace. It has pushed a two-state solution further out of reach. We continue to support an enduring and just peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

We in the Australian government support the protection of innocent life in this conflict and in all conflicts. That is what we have consistently advocated for in all circumstances. In this conflict further lives are at stake. Civilians on all sides are suffering, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating. Medical care, water, and sanitation and nutrition needs are growing. President Biden of the United States has called on Israel to operate by the rules of war in response to Hamas's attacks, and we support those calls. Adherence to international law mitigates against this conflict widening. This matters for civilians on all sides and for Israel's own national security. If conflict were to spill over across the region, risks to Israel's security would be compounded, as they would be for all Israeli and Palestinian civilians and civilian populations throughout the region.

The Australian government is working hard to support the work of the United States, Egypt and others to establish humanitarian access to Gaza. To ensure relief can reach civilians affected by the conflict, we call for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. We're providing an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict. Through the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF and UNOPS, this funding will help to restore services, provide medical support, restore hygiene services and support nutrition and child protection. We will continue to assess the humanitarian situation as it develops and stand ready to provide further support.

In the midst of this horrific situation, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been working around the clock to assist Australians looking to leave the region. This has been our highest priority. I'm pleased to report more than 1,200 Australians who wished to leave have now done so. Last week we secured commercial options for assisted departures and readied the ADF to assist, should the need arise. On Friday the first flight, operated free of charge by Qantas, took more than 200 Australians out of Tel Aviv to safety. Overnight, a further three flights have departed Tel Aviv, including two RAAF flights. We've had available seats on all of these flights. A further flight will depart today, after which we will consider whether further assisted departure flights are needed.

DFAT continue to assist a further 1,540 registered Australians across Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. I'd like to highlight the hard work of officials both overseas and here in our crisis centre in Australia. Australian staff and those employed locally at our posts in the Middle East have been working through the night, every night, to put together the best possible options for Australians wanting to leave. Australians in the affected areas who want to leave and need assistance with departure should register via DFAT's crisis portal or by calling the 24-hour consular emergency centre.

Back home in Australia, we know that extremists are seeking to exploit this situation for their own ends. There will always be those who try to divide our community for their own ends. We all need to resist this. We need to look at the common bonds between us to see our common humanity. People come to Australia because they want to live in a country that's peaceful, tolerant and respectful. I don't need to tell you how important it is that we protect that. There's no place in Australian communities for antisemitism or Islamophobia. There's no place in our community for hate speech. The antisemitic slogans that we've heard at some protests in recent times have been rightly condemned by the Prime Minister, the foreign minister and many others, and I add my condemnation. Those that engage in these acts must understand that their hatred runs contrary to the values that we all share as Australians.

Just as there's no space in our society for antisemitism, nor is there any space for Islamophobia or other types of intolerance or racism. My community in Melbourne's west is one of the most diverse faith communities in Australia. We know firsthand it takes real work to promote community. We know firsthand the effort it takes to build mutual understanding and respect across cultural and religious lines, and we know firsthand how carefully we must protect that sense of community. In recent days my community has seen Neo-Nazi groups seeking to intimidate members of the community in Melbourne's west, and I call for these actions to be thoroughly investigated by law enforcement authorities and for those responsible to be held to account. We know it is all too easy for community safety to be undermined by violent or extreme rhetoric. We should also understand that, as we speak, there is disinformation circulating, deliberately spread by bad-faith actors, landing on our screens and our smart phones and on those of our neighbours and friends. I ask Australians to be aware of the threats of this disinformation, to report and watch out for disininformation and to take care with what you share and what you post. It can stoke division and hatred. At worst, it can put lives at risk.

The gravity of these times calls for all Australians to stand against hate, so I ask that we all consider how we can discuss these difficult issues with respect and understanding for difference. Maintaining respect and understanding for each other here at home is so essential. As I said before, it's why so many people come to our country. It's part of who we are as Australians, part of the nation and society that we've all built here together—a place where people can come from around the world in search of new beginnings, a better society and a better way of doing things. It's part of our Australian identity. It's important, to sustain this community, that we fight those who preach hatred. As a great Australian, Eddie Jaku OAM, himself a Holocaust survivor, once said, 'Hate is the beginning of a disease, like cancer. It may kill your enemy, but will destroy you in the process too.' In these difficult times, we must all stand against hate, seek the common humanity that we share and invest in what makes our Australian community so great.

Russell Broadbent (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In speaking on this grave motion, I'd like firstly to identify with every word the member for Gellibrand said. I thank him for the way he represented his community and the people of Australia in the address he's just given to the parliament.

There are no words to describe the horror that Australian people felt on hearing the news of the Hamas attack on the people of Israel. A terrorist organisation was sent to kill as many people as possible, with absolutely no care for age, for frailty or for youth. It's an attack that seems, in Australia, incomprehensible to us as a nation. I saw how it affected my own family and community—how distressed they were. I know they would have all gone and projected themselves into the situation in that kibbutz where people went to bed the night before and woke up to gunshots at their front doors and in their homes. We saw the killing of innocent people, young people in their absolute prime at a youth get-together for people who wanted to dance and sing. Each one of us thinks of our own grandchildren, friends and family. That could have been us. Who knows where the next attack will come from?

But there are two perpetrators of the pain and death that's happening in the Middle East at this time. Hamas have not only attacked Israel in such a heinous way but, worse than that, have purposefully attacked the Palestinian people. They use children in kindergartens as their shelter. They use sick people in hospitals as their shelter, knowing that the leadership of Hamas will not be attacked if they use that cover. Hezbollah are the same.

I have been to Israel on two occasions at behest of the government of the day, so it was incomprehensible to me that there could be a break in the defences as there were. That's because I know the ability of the Israelis to protect their borders. I've been to their borders and I've stood there and seen firsthand when they point out where Hezbollah and Hamas are. Using the Palestinian people in this way, virtually as human sacrifices for their bent and twisted cause, confronts us in this country, where we're so used to freedom of movement and freedom of activity—freedom of everything. It's not possible that anything like that could happen; but it has, and I think the response of this federal government has been totally appropriate.

As the member for Gellibrand said, people are dancing on the graves of those poor people who have fallen. Our sympathy goes out to them and to those who have been kidnapped or injured. Can we possibly put ourselves in the place of how they feel, where an Israeli father says to the world, 'I'd rather my daughter be dead than kidnapped?' He said, 'Yes, she's dead', and he went on to explain how horrific Hamas can be with hostages. They're holding those hostages, and we've seen a Hamas fighter standing there with toddlers in his arms. That brought tears to the eyes of many around me.

I stand with Israel, as this nation does. I stand, especially, knowing that there are Palestinians even in this country who wish for the end of the state of Israel. That is not going to happen. They have every right to respond to protect their border and to protect their people, and that's what they will do with all the force needed. But the tragedy of that is that Hamas will use thousands and thousands and thousands of Palestinians who will be sacrificed for their aims, without any care whatsoever of their health, wellbeing or safety.

This is happening right now as we speak. As we speak, the Israelis are prepared to go into the Gaza Strip, probably one of the most heavily populated areas in the world, with few opportunities for those people to escape from the Israeli incursion. None of us can understand what we would be doing, what decisions we would be making now if we were in the shoes of those in Israel and in Palestine. How would our heartache and consideration be if it was one of us? How would you think and feel if it was your wife, your father? A friend said over dinner on Friday, 'Two of my cousins have been called up by the Israeli army, and they have easily gone.' The way he said it was, 'My family is about to sacrifice these two young men to the cause.'

The Israelis have put together more than 300,000 men and women, reservists called in. As we stand, Australia will do its best, and, I believe, the government will do its best to support wherever we need to support, whatever we can do. There will be humanitarian aid from this country for the peoples of Israel and the peoples of Palestine. But let me say: we will fight with every breath and every energy we have against antisemitism and Islamophobia, because this nation is better than those demonstrations we saw last week in Sydney. We're better than that, and Australians will always stand up for the right—the right for people to speak out, yes, and the right to be heard in that freedom.

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my first speech in this place I made reference to the fact that I was born in a region of the world where time is marked by war. My generation, we don't call ourselves the children of 1967; we call ourselves the children of the Naksa because that is the cross that we bear being born in the year of that war.

I think it was Helmut Kohl who said that peace must be more than the absence of war, but certainly in Palestine and Israel peace is nothing but the absence of war. When I think about that, I think about that as being a very precarious way to live. It's a very fragile peace that people live in, isn't it? They live in a world and in a region of uncertainty.

But let me say this: peace will not be achieved by terrorism. Peace will not be achieved by bombs. Piece will not be achieved by war. Peace will not be achieved by violence. For peace to be achieved in the region, it requires significant political will—a political will that reflects the ambition and the aspirations of the people of Israel and the people of Palestine. I visited both Israel and Palestine on two occasions. Let me say, from talking to the people there: they hope for more. They hope for more than just an existence that is defined by the absence of war.

I want to turn to the attacks on Israel by Hamas, which, under every definition of terrorism—and there are many; there are international definitions as well as a number of definitions by different countries—that act, the violence that we saw perpetrated by Hamas, was terrorism and should be condemned in every possible way. So too should any actions and any demonstrations that seek to celebrate the death and destruction of Israelis be condemned, loudly and unequivocally. I want to say this to members of my faith community: celebrating the death and destruction of Israelis is un-Islamic. There is no other word for it. It is un-Islamic. I pay heed to Sheikh Shady and Dr Ibraham from the Australian National Imams Council for the statements that they've put out. I know that the minister Ed Husic behind me agrees with me on this—we've spoken about this at length—and I pay heed to him as well for the strong way in which he has also spoken alongside Sheikh Shady and the Imams Council in condemning the actions of those protesters who sought to celebrate the tragic and heinous attack on Israelis by Hamas.

Terrorists by definition do not follow the rules of warfare. While many of us—most of us; most decent people—abhor war and abhor violence, the fact is that war is at times an inevitable part of the human condition. That is the reason that we have a Geneva convention. That is the reason that we have rules of war, rules of warfare and rules that dictate what is expected of states and humane treatment, particularly of civilians, in times of war. As I said, terrorists do not abide by the rules of war. It's one of the reasons that they are terrorists. It's one of the reasons that acts of terrorism are defined as such, because they do not abide by those rules of war. For that, they should be condemned. Absolutely, with every breath, they should be condemned. There is absolutely no justification for what Hamas did—no justification for the attacks on innocent Israelis that we have seen. Those who seek to justify what Hamas did in Israel do an incredible disservice not just to Israelis but to Palestinians alike. But the rules of war are there, and one of the greatest fears that I have—and I know that this fear extends to those in my community, in my faith community—is the escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel for people—innocent people in Israel; innocent people in Palestine—whose existence is defined by the absence of war. As I said, it's a precarious existence. It's not a way to live.

It is also appropriate that we should join with the US administration in urging that, as the violence escalates, the rules of war are adhered to, and that those international rules of war that have been agreed upon, particularly in terms of the humanitarian treatment of civilians and the humanitarian treatment of the casualties of war, should be abided by. It is right for us to stand and make the statement that we expect the rules of warfare to also be applied in the ongoing conflict.

There's a part in the Koran and the Sunna that talks about humanity as if it were a body, and where any part of the body hurts the whole body feels pain. As Muslims, we're urged to look at our brothers and our sisters in humanity in this way: what hurts you also hurts me; what pains you also pains me.

It's difficult to stand here now and talk about this issue without feeling the pain of the Israeli people, without feeling the pain of the Jewish community in my electorate of Cowan—and I send my regards to the community in my electorate of Cowan, to Geoff Midalia and the community there—and without also feeling the pain of the Palestinian people, who are also innocent and who will also bear the brunt of war: women, children and men.

I don't know the way out of this. I don't know the way to peace, but I do know that violence only begets violence. I do know that political will is required on both sides to get through this impasse and see a way forward.

I end this by putting a callout to all members of the Australian Muslim community and to urge them, also: I know that you are hurting. I know that this is a deeply emotional issue for you, but as Muslims it is our responsibility to show compassion and empathy for all humanity. I urge people to remember that we live in a democratic and free country. I urge them to remember the hard times that we went through when Islamophobia was rife, and to hold back and remember that there is no place in this country for antisemitism and no place for Islamophobia.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like so many others in this place, I mourn for the lives lost and pour my heart out to the children and the families of the Israelis so unfairly, blatantly and suddenly taken in the Hamas attacks.

That said, whether it's an Israeli or whether it's a Palestinian, the deaths are unnecessary. The loss of lives is so cruel. Whilst this parliament stands for Israel, we must remember too that there are good people on both sides, the same as there are good Russians, who do not agree with the war their country is waging in Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with innocent people—with people whose lives have been so badly disrupted, affected and changed forever.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Statements are interrupted in accordance with standing order 47(e).