Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with the resolution agreed to earlier today, statements relating to Hamas attacks on Israel and ongoing conflict may now be made.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since my remarks were interrupted last night, unfortunately things have deteriorated, not improved, and we look in horror at what is playing out.

I can restate that the protection of civilian lives and the respect for international humanitarian law are paramount. There's no room for movement there. Australia has condemned any indiscriminate attacks and the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. We condemn those behaviours. There is much confusion about what is going on, and I'm not going to go into the details, but I think we're all aware of the loss of civilian life that has occurred at the hospital in Gaza. I note that the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. As I said last night, what we're seeing is innocent civilians suffering on both sides, as a result of this conflict. Both Palestinians and Israelis deserve justice and they deserve freedom. This is deeply distressing for so many people in Australia, grieving the lives that have been lost.

What's important for us at home is that we maintain respect for each other as we do our best to support all the victims of this horror, irrespective of nationality or religion. In this parliament, we've condemned all forms of hate speech and violent extremist activity, including Islamophobia and antisemitism. In this place, we've agreed that no-one should be stoking fear and division which risks our domestic security. People should feel safe in Australia, wherever they are. Hateful prejudice has no place in this country. In this place, we must continue to work together for what can be the only goal in this situation that's unfolding, and that is to provide peace for the region of the Middle East, to support a two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis, and not allow a terror attack and its repercussions to undermine that commitment. There is much practical work being done to assist Australians who are caught up in this conflict. More than 1,500 previously registered Australians have now left Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and additional flights are being arranged, subject to security conditions. DFAT remains in contact with more than 1,200 registered Australians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and not all of those who have registered actually want to leave, and many have registered for information updates. So we continue to work very closely with Australians who are on the ground.

I want to speak specifically about Australians in Gaza. We know this is very distressing for people in Australia who have family members who are Australian citizens or noncitizens in Gaza. That's obviously an extremely challenging situation for Australia to be assisting people. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is in direct contact with Australians in Gaza who are seeking to leave, keeping them updated and continuing to work with them.

I also want to make one remark about the West Bank. I've visited the West Bank. I know people in Ramallah and I've been in communication with them. They are frightened; they are scared. I've seen footage of some of the things that are happening on the ground there. It's a horrible situation for people in the West Bank. There are also Australians in the West Bank who are wanting to leave, and they are also being supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

I think our role as parliamentarians is to make sure we are careful in the language we use. We've been asked by the head of ASIO to be careful in the language that we use. We have strong feelings about this. None of us like seeing the loss of civilian life, and that is the thing that absolutely unites us here. Our language should ensure that we are respectful.

We all hope that over the coming days there can be steps taken to de-escalate the terrible violence that we are witnessing. I thank the House.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to commend this motion, a bipartisan and lengthy motion, that sets out what most decent Australians would support without question. Regrettably, a minority of people in this country and, sadly, a minority in this place have chosen to take a moment of solidarity with Israel to play politics. I don't intend to dignify that with a response. We would only be playing into their hands.

It has been hard to escape the horrific images of Gaza that we have all regrettably seen or read about. The start of another war is tragic indeed. There is no other word to describe it. War should never, ever be glorified. It is horrible to think that, while we are into the 601st day of Russia's illegal war in Ukraine, now we have an Israel-Hamas conflict. On the numbers, to bring the horror we are talking about into crystal-clear focus, as at the last check the death toll from the initial attack was over 1,400 people, most them civilians. The subsequent deaths in Gaza have surpassed 3,000, including at least 600 children and 370 women, with over 12½ thousand people wounded. An estimated 200 people are being held hostage by Hamas. I will not pretend to know the operational details of the attacks or the counteroffenses. Those horrific numbers are the facts that matter. I hope and pray the number does not rise. Those numbers are chilling and should spur everyone to pursue a solution. Call me a flower child of the seventies if you will, but every effort must be made to bring about peace.

The stories from those who have experienced the attack by Hamas on Israel this week are worse than atrocious. I don't know how we would react if they were our babies slaughtered in cold blood here in Australia. Yet in Sydney, Melbourne and around the world individuals made the journey to public places and rejoiced the attacks on Israel. This is fundamentally wrong and should be strongly condemned by every person in this place and every decent Australian.

Soon after the attack on Israel the New South Wales Labor government rightly moved to show its solidarity with Jewish people by mourning with Israel and projecting the Israeli flag on the Sydney Opera House. It should have been a moment of solidarity with those in Israel who have been mercilessly treated and killed. Instead, the coverage of the event was dominated by those who sympathise with the actions of terrorist group Hamas. Why? For reasons we may never fully know, somehow either the New South Wales government and/or police allowed these antisemitic views to be expressed right on the steps of the illuminated Opera House. Initially, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called the decision by police 'operational'. It was a sad deflection of responsibility. A man carrying an Israeli flag instead found himself apprehended for his own personal safety and his flag confiscated. In whose mind is this reasonable or rational? I join with those that called for the New South Wales Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley, to stand down. Hamas's attacks and anyone condoning them are an outrage against democracy, goodwill and human decency. This is something that should disturb every Australian.

I want to pick up on the third to last paragraph of the Prime Minister's motion, which reads that we in this place recognise:

… an attack on any religion is an attack on all religions and that we all share a responsibility to unite, condemn and defeat such an attack on our common values and way of life;

Now is not the time to reflect on the lack of protection for religious freedom in Australia. It is, nonetheless, sad that in 2023, given some of the campaigns for equality that have occurred here and throughout corporate Australia, some people—a minority—see people of faith as fair game for hateful comments to celebrate when terrible things happen to them, to justify violence against them, or, worse, to target them with violence. It is a gaping hole in our equality framework, and it needs to be addressed. Not that long ago Australia through its armed forces servicemen and servicewomen participated in an overseas conflict against the deadly and repulsive ideology of ISIS, ISIL or Daesh—whatever you want to call the Islamic state. The former government put a deal of effort into repressing a brutal, hateful ideology that in one of its strongest tenets saw people of particular faiths or lifestyles as legitimate targets for their worst atrocities. From what we saw in Sydney in particular it appears there is still much more work to be done, which is some cause for reflection and perhaps the need for action, as the Leader of the Opposition has been saying this week.

In August last year I was part of a parliamentary delegation to Israel. I met with ministers from the Israeli government and with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh. I left those meetings concerned about how strongly terrorism could and would be restricted in the West Bank and Gaza. Our delegation visited both the West Bank and Gaza, and, when we visited the Palestinian West Bank, we saw how the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the UNRWA, sustains that population. I was concerned to see that there appeared to be little incentive for the population there to do anything but rely on the internationally financed welfare system of the UNRWA. It was clear from that visit that Hamas and Hezbollah are constant threats to the people of Israel, particularly through rockets launched on the population. These terrorist organisations' threat was ever present. We also went to Sderot, where we saw bomb shelters in every block. Even within primary schools there are bomb shelters. How sad that children should grow up under the threat of mortal danger, and tragically now we see that danger has become a reality with the death of completely innocent infants. It is horrific and inexcusable. Israel has every right to defend itself in response and to deter future attacks and other acts of aggression, coercion and interference.

The second paragraph of the Prime Minister's motion, which we support, is clear on that. It has to be restated because, sadly, there are some who don't agree with that proposition. It is crucial that nations and leaders across the globe express their support for Israel—its right to exist and its right to self-defence. It is also crucial that we stand united across the globe against antisemitism in all its forms.

Andrew Charlton (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia's Jewish and Muslim communities are made up of good people, good people who desperately want to see their brothers and sisters in the Middle East find a peaceful resolution to this conflict. They are good people who want to live in harmony here in Australia alongside their friends and neighbours from many other faiths. The recent horrific violence in the Middle East has unleashed a torrent of pain and grief for these good people; grief for those innocent Israelis and Palestinians who have lost their lives and pain for the families who wait anxiously to hear the fate of hostages, or who watch the mounting toll of civilian casualties.

While the roots of this conflict stretch back into history, the immediate catalyst for violence was the unjustifiable Hamas attacks which targeted and killed innocent civilians. I join with all members in this parliament in the condemnation of terrorism. We must have moral clarity on the condemnation of all acts of indiscriminate killing, all targeting of civilians and all taking of hostages. These Hamas attacks have set back the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people—the aspirations of the Palestinian people that I met this year as I travelled to Israel and the occupied territories were to live freely, to live in peace, to travel without checkpoints, to work without permits and to live without fear. And these are aspirations that many Israelis also want to see. Hamas's actions have made those actions harder to achieve.

Australia has rightly condemned the killing of civilians by Hamas. But condemning these actions in no way diminishes support for Palestinian statehood or support for human rights in the West Bank and Gaza. In the last 24 hours we have witnessed the destruction of a hospital in Gaza, which took another tragic toll. There is an urgent need to protect human life and ensure that Australia's response equally values the lives of innocent people, no matter what their nationality, no matter where they live and no matter what faith they hold. We repeat our calls for protection of civilian lives and the upholding of international law, including international laws against the taking of hostages and international laws against collective punishment. The international community is right to expect that humanitarian aid be allowed to enter Gaza and that innocent civilians will be protected. The Albanese government has allocated $10 million of additional and immediate humanitarian aid funding for the people of Gaza. Our diplomats are working incredibly hard to support all people, especially Australian citizens in this crisis, and I thank them for their efforts, led by the foreign minister, Penny Wong.

The Muslim community and the Jewish community in Australia are peace-loving people. They love our multicultural nation, in which Jews, Muslims and many other faiths live as neighbours and friends. All Australians have a responsibility to protect our multicultural harmony. We have to protect it from antisemitism, which has no place in Australia. And we have to protect it from Islamophobia, which also has no place in Australia. And I condemn all acts of Islamophobia and antisemitism with equal force. We must stand with our Jewish friends to ensure they are not subject to hate speech and we must stand with our Muslim friends to ensure their overwhelmingly peace-loving community is not tainted by association with the actions of a small minority.

In recent days I have met with and spoken with many leaders from the Jewish and Muslim communities. I commend them for their steadfast leadership amid their grief. I thank them for their actions to provide comfort and urge tolerance. I will continue to speak up for peace and justice—peace free from terrorism and peace without occupation and subjugation. We are all guided by a desire to see Israeli and Palestinian people coexist in peace and security.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to strongly support the motion of the parliament in relation to Israel and the unconscionable attacks of the terrorist group Hamas on the people of Israel. It's very unfortunate that we have heard so much in this debate, whether it be from the Greens or members of the teal political party, highlighting another side of the case because, when you consider that this is the attack of terror groups against a nation-state, targeted at civilians, you can't believe that there are two sides to this particular issue that we are discussing as a parliament; there is only one. So it is good to see the unity of this parliament in relation to all members strongly condemning terrorist violence. There is no equivalency between a nation-state like Israel, which has a right to exist and a right to defend itself, and the actions of terror groups deliberately targeting civilians and deliberately killing Jewish people for the great crime of simply being Jewish.

When we will look through the record of history and examine the record of humanity, there's no doubt that one of the saddest features and one of the greatest stains on the soul of humanity will be antisemitism. It has been more durable than it should be. It has lasted longer, it has killed more people, it has done more damage and it remains today a completely irrational strain of thinking that, tragically for the Jewish people, continues to dominate a large part of the world's thinking. When you consider the motivation of terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and their backers in Iran, you understand that they simply want to wipe out the existence of Israel and the Jewish people altogether. There can be no peace with groups that have that as their objective. It's naive to suggest that there can be.

I know people here want to say we can have peace. In a peaceful country like Australia, in a western liberal democracy which is based on rights and the rule of law, we sometimes consider that we can simply call for peace and that will somehow help. We can't have peace with people whose objective is the murder of people for their race or for their characteristics or for their religion or for their background. These terror groups simply don't want peace. Their actions demonstrate that they don't want peace because they were targeted at stopping a major Arab state, Saudi Arabia, which is also a major Muslim state, from normalising relations with Israel, and sadly and tragically they have probably delayed and put off what would have been a major advancement and a step towards peace and stability for Jewish people and the entire Middle East region.

So in a sense we're here today because of this evil and violence against Jewish people. We're also here, depressingly, to acknowledge that the actions of this group have set back the course of peace, and that's why we shouldn't equivocate about our response or our condemnation in relation to terror groups who are striking with a greater purpose, which is not simply the killing of people and the creating of chaos and the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people but also the prevention of other actors in the world today, like Saudi Arabia and others, from moving down a path of peace. It's an inherently evil act to prevent peace and to take steps to deliberately destroy a more peaceful process and a more peaceful world.

So it was depressing and distressing as well to see an outbreak on the streets of the town where I grew up and the city that I'm very proud of, Sydney. I want to say to the Jewish community of Sydney, in particular, that the group of thugs that presented themselves on the streets of Sydney and chanted those evil and insidious chants do not represent all of the Australian population's view about Hamas, Hezbollah and the conflict that they are going through. In fact, it is the obligation of the New South Wales police—and I call upon the New South Wales police minister to get across her brief and do her job. It is unacceptable for the response of the New South Wales state government to have been to arrest peaceful Jewish Israeli Australian citizens while they were attempting to support their parent country peacefully on the streets, but enable, allow and protect thugs on the streets calling for the execution killing and racial vilification of other Australians. It's simply unacceptable. It shouldn't be allowed on our streets.

When you consider what's been happening in Australia in recent times, we do need our police forces to do more and we do need our security forces to do their jobs. Security services need to do their jobs. In Melbourne, we have had scenes, replicated on multiple occasions, of Nazis, Australian Nazis, on the streets of Melbourne, throwing Nazi salutes. This was replicated just the other day, where masked men on trains were throwing Nazi salutes. This should not be happening, and it's not just to the Australian Jewish community. My own family fled from Greece after World War II as a result of a Nazi massacre. I'm only standing here because of the massacre of civilians in Greece by Nazis. Yet, in Australia in 2023, we are now not only witnessing Nazis on the streets of Melbourne—and we need our police and our security services to do better; our streets in Sydney are being taken over by a group of Hamas-supporting thugs, directly threatening and inciting racial and religious violence against other Australian citizens.

While I hear the call of Mike Burgess from ASIO—and I understand his point very well—I also say to our agencies, who have been given multiple tranches of powers by this parliament under multiple tranches of security legislation: your responsibility is also to do your job. Sure, you might ask politicians to calm their rhetoric, but we would also ask you to use the powers that parliament have given you, use the multiple agencies that are under your control, use the money that has been given to you to protect the Australian people, to protect all of our citizens, to protect not just Australians of Jewish descent but Australians of all backgrounds who've come here.

We have one of the largest Greek populations outside of Greece in Melbourne, and it is unacceptable to have Nazis on the streets of Melbourne, throwing Nazi salutes. I welcome the Victorian government's outlawing of the Nazi salute today and I welcome this parliament's move and the government's move to rightly outlaw hate symbols and other Nazi symbols from being produced on the streets of Melbourne—more laws that we need to pass to stop this extremist response.

In spite of these very difficult developments, I know that the Australian people support and stand steadfastly behind Australia's Jewish community, a peaceful, happy, productive community that has come here and contributed so much to the fabric of Australia. We are behind you and we don't see any equivalences in parliament between terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and their backers in Iran and the great and peaceful migration that the Australian Jewish community represents here in Australia.

I also welcome, President Biden and Secretary Blinken, the great response of the United States—it's still the leader of the free world today and of the West—ensuring their absolute steadfast support to Israel. Why? Because Israel has a right to exist, because after the Holocaust, the pogroms and all of the tragedy of the Jewish people throughout history, Israel, the modern state of Israel since 1948, represents the best chance for the Jewish people to live in peace. And, while Australia continues to support a two-state solution, and we do—and of course the loss of any civilian life is absolutely tragic—the actors that initiated this recent round of conflict, Hamas and Hezbollah, are terror groups, and we should not shy away from that. All of the civilian loss of life that is coming about now has been initiated by terrorist actors.

The United States, Australia and the free world stand behind Israel because it is the rational thing to do, because it is the right thing to do, because it respects human rights and international rights. I'm very proud of Australia for its response and proud of the government's response as well.

Today I have the great privilege of saying to the Australian Jewish community: we support you; we love you; we know how much you have suffered from this senseless and baseless attack; we do very much understand—and any rational, right-thinking person who examines this conflict understands—the hatred that is behind the acts that have happened here, and their indecency and utter lack of humanity. If we truly stand on the side of peace, we will always stand behind countries that respect rights, countries that have the rule of law and countries that want freedom and peace. I believe Israel is one of those, and we support you. I'm very proud to support this motion.

Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the past week we have seen the devastating loss of innocent life due to the horrendous attacks on Israel by Hamas. It is crucial that, as Australians, we stand up and unequivocally condemn these terrorist attacks. These are acts of evil. They are the heinous acts of terrorists, and we come together now to unite against such actions. Australia opposes terrorism in all its forms. Australia stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel. We recognise Israel's right to defend itself. I note that, far from representing the Palestinian people, Hamas undermines Palestinian needs and aspirations.

We continue to call for the unconditional release of hostages and note that the world has witnessed a devastating loss of life and that innocent civilians on all sides of the conflict are already suffering. The scenes we are seeing are deeply upsetting and I reiterate the Australian government's calls for the protection of civilian lives and the observance of international humanitarian law. As a nation, our guiding principle has always been the pursuit of peace and progress towards a just and enduring two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live within secure borders. We know that one of the many tragedies in what Hamas has done is that any prospect for peace has been pushed further from reach.

Like many in this place, I know that many in my community are following these scary developments very closely. I've spoken to a range of community leaders in the Perth electorate. It is home to a vibrant multicultural community. We do have different religious and cultural groups co-existing with mutual respect and understanding. It is something that we're very proud of. If I reflect back to when I was first elected as the member for Perth, one of my very fond memories is of being very kindly invited to the home of Joan Hillman, who was then the president of the Jewish Community Council of Western Australia. Joan very kindly invited me to her home for dinner to meet with a range of Jewish community leaders. That has resulted in some longstanding friendships and a deep engagement with that community, a large amount of which is based in my electorate to Perth.

I also note that we are again being asked to respond to horrific terror attacks. I am proud of the gatherings we've had to reject these terror attacks, as I was when I joined with the community outside the Perth mosque in Northbridge after the Christchurch attacks. At that event, I said, 'Australia as a nation is at its best when we are showing compassion across the world.' What I've seen in the last week is that we've gone out of our way to show that compassion, and we are at our absolute best as human beings when we are showing that compassion. Again, I've seen that in what has happened with some of the gatherings, and I note that we were able to have a message from the Prime Minister read at the gathering of the Jewish community in Perth last week. At that event it was very clearly stated to the community that the Prime Minister had said:

… you are not alone. All Australians embrace you in this time of trauma.

We cannot lighten the weight that is upon you, but we hold you in our hearts. We grieve with you. We will stand with Israel.

We always will.

I know that message was very warmly received by my community.

One of the things that has been thrown into absolute focus as a result of these horrific terrorist attacks is the fact that there are, sadly, here in the best country in the world, people who fear for or need to think more than I believe should be necessary about their safety when going about ordinary things, be it praying, attending educational institutions or attending community institutions. That's why I know there are a number of organisations across Australia and, indeed, in my electorate who will be very pleased to see the investments that are being announced today, through the Securing Faith-Based Places program, in more security and related infrastructure to support community groups. I note that that will be welcomed very much by Maurice Zeffert Home in Yokine in my electorate. It will be welcomed by the Australian Islamic College Dianella. It will be welcomed by Buddha's Light International Association in Maylands. This new funding will be welcomed by Temple David Congregation in Mount Lawley, Perth Hebrew Congregation in Menora, Perth Mosque in Northbridge and Western Australian Maccabi Inc.

I want to thank all of those community organisations that applied for that funding. I will do everything as their local member to ensure that they are able to access it as soon as possible, because I know how much people are concerned about the security situation here in Australia.

With that, I want to thank not just the Prime Minister, the Attorney-General, the foreign minister and the home affairs minister, amongst many others, for their work; I also want to thank Premier Cook and the Western Australian government for the work they've been doing with WA police in particular in giving assurance on a range of safety matters to support communities who are rightly but sadly concerned about the security situation they find themselves in. I thank a number of my colleagues from all sides who I know also have been reaching out to both Jewish and Muslim communities in Western Australia to ensure that they have what we in this place all want, which is to have the benefits of the society in which we want to walk and live, which is one where we have great social cohesion. It's important that we all take responsibility to ensure that ongoing social cohesion at a time where terrorists are broadcasting things not just through the media but through social media—TikTok and the rest—trying to make people fearful simply for being who they are. I don't want anyone in this country to feel that fear purely because of their faith or where they're from.

I conclude by commending the work that has been done by the Department of Foreign Affairs, its minister and the Minister for International Development in working towards further humanitarian assistance. I welcome the $10 million initial humanitarian assistance package for civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza, and I particularly note the strong partnership that Australia has had for many years with the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide urgent funds where they can. Of course the government will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation and stands ready to provide further support if it is required.

I want to thank all members who have participated in this debate for the wave that they've gone about showing strong support for communities here in Australia and, indeed, for communities who are hurting across the globe. Thank you.

Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to associate myself with this motion of the parliament to condemn the barbaric attacks by Hamas on the state of Israel on 7 October and also to pass on the parliament's condolences to the people of Israel and Jewish people around the world, particularly here in Australia, all of whom would have loved ones, friends and family who will be affected or have been affected by the events that are currently unfolding.

It was right and proper that Ambassador Amir Maimon addressed the coalition party room on Tuesday morning and received the condolences of our side of politics and, I'm sure, the entire parliament, as this motion suggests. He also reiterated to our party room that Israel didn't start this war and didn't choose this war but will win this war. I absolutely stand with the ambassador, the Israeli people, the Israeli government and the IDF on that notion. A government's first responsibility to its people is to keep them safe and protect them.

I have had the pleasure and privilege of visiting the village of Sderot in southern Israel. It is five kilometres from the border with Gaza and about a half-hour drive from Be'er Sheva, which is a sacred place for many Australians because of the legendary charge of the light horse. It's a very special part of the world. Sadly, on Saturday 7 October the defences were not sufficient to keep the terrorists out of Sderot and the surrounding communities. Many people of that city were killed and some taken hostage. There is one image which is probably the most disturbing for many Australians. Last Saturday night I was waiting outside the Grapevine Gathering, a music festival in the Swan Valley at the Sandalford winery. I was waiting for my 18- and 20-year-old daughters to come out, watching these beautiful young people, full of enthusiasm and expectation of the life ahead. Sadly, on that day, on 7 October, 247 people attending a similar festival in Israel were cut down.

We must condemn these actions and we must support the state of Israel in the actions that it needs to take to defend its people and to destroy Hamas and other terrorist organisations that threaten the state of Israel and its people. I want to congratulate the United States on its response. President Biden and his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, have indicated through the positioning of a two-carrier task force in the vicinity that the United States will stand with Israel, and that there will be consequences for surrounding countries if they decide to get involved in the conflict. It is very disturbing as well to see Hezbollah seeming to mobilise on the northern borders of Israel. Of course, we know the mullahs in Tehran are coordinating a lot of this activity, so it's very, very important that the United States is there, showing its strength and support for the state of Israel.

I want to close my brief remarks by reiterating how proud I am to have stood in this parliament with the vast majority of the 151 members demonstrating their support by supporting this motion. I know that the vast majority of the Australian people stand with Israel at this time of their desperate need.

Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we watch the horrors unfold abroad, we all grieve for the innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians who have lost their lives. Conflict anywhere in the world is deeply distressing; it is all the more tragic when you see the killing and maiming of innocent civilians. We ought to speak up and condemn atrocities committed against innocent civilians, regardless of the history of the land or the faith of its people.

While the tensions in Israel and Palestine have lasted decades, the genesis of this most recent escalation is with the horrific attacks from Hamas terrorists. They committed mass murder on a scale so large and indiscriminate it can only be described as pure evil. Young people at a music festival, Holocaust survivors, Jewish families and young children—innocent lives brutally taken by a terrorist organisation. And now Hamas has taken Israelis as hostages—a cruel bargaining chip. My heart aches for those who have lost loved ones. They are innocent Palestinians and innocent Israelis who have been caught up in this conflict. For those families who have had loved ones taken hostage, the anxiety, fear and pain must be terrible. We unequivocally condemn these horrific acts committed by Hamas and call for the immediate release of all hostages. The actions of Hamas were not in the interests of Palestinians and will not advance the cause for a two-state solution. Innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians are the victims in this conflict, and they have paid such a heavy price.

While the genesis of this recent conflict was an act of pure evil by Hamas, the Israeli government cannot allow evil to beget evil. Israel has a right to defend itself, and, given the evil nature of these terrorist attacks and the subsequent hostage-taking, it is understandable that Israel seeks justice for its people. But that right should not extend to the indiscriminate killing of innocent Palestinians. The mass punishment of innocent civilians in Gaza cannot be a proportionate response to the murderous attacks on civilians by Hamas. We call for the protection of civilian lives and the observance of international law because all innocent life lost is a tragedy.

From speaking to members of my community, their overwhelming concern is for the innocent Palestinians trapped in Gaza and the innocent Israelis taken hostage. As we call for the immediate release of Israeli hostages, we also call for those trapped in Gaza to have immediate access to basic necessities and for humanitarian aid to be allowed through via the establishment of a humanitarian corridor. Australia is providing $10 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza. Three million dollars will go to the International Committee of the Red Cross to fund the most pressing needs, like restoring essential services and providing medical support. Seven million dollars will go to UN agencies to deliver critical support, including emergency water, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as child protection.

Australian consular officials here and overseas have been working tirelessly to get Australians out of the region. More than 1,500 previously registered Australians have now left Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. That's 1,500 Australians who are now safe. Their safety and the safety of all innocent civilians must be prioritised.

I've been in touch with members of the Muslim and Jewish communities. Both communities are hurting deeply, both communities feel the tremendous burden of these events and both communities acknowledge the fundamental importance of maintaining respect for each other, as people, validly, express their views. But, let me be clear, there is no room for Islamophobia in Australia; there is no room for antisemitism in Australia. Hateful prejudice against any group has no place in this country. When we see the turbulence of events overseas, we have to realise that our cohesive multilingual, multicultural and multifaith society is our most prized and fragile asset. As Mike Burgess, the director-general of ASIO, has made clear, everyone in our community, most of all our leaders, has a responsibility to use measured and responsible language. These are wise words that bear repeating.

The guiding principle for us in this decades-long conflict has been the pursuit of peace and progress towards a just and enduring two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians alike can live safely and freely within secure borders. There is no doubt that Hamas's attacks have put that further out of reach, but we must always continue to strive for a just and peaceful resolution in a way that protects all civilian lives and conforms to international law.

Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion in relation to what was a deplorable act of violence by Hamas in Israel a little over a week ago. As I stand here and reflect, it's immensely disappointing to have to stand in this chamber and speak on this type of motion.

The deliberate act of violence perpetrated by Hamas on innocent Israeli civilians was designed and intended to inflict maximum harm on those innocent civilians. Elderly women slain at bus stops, young people murdered while attending a music festival, which was actually promoting peace in the region, and families slain in their homes—these were not the righteous acts of freedom fighters but blatant, unprovoked, abhorrent terrorist attacks by a terrorist organisation. There is never any justification for the murder of innocent civilians, and I stand with my coalition colleagues and all of those in this chamber who have condemned these unprovoked and abhorrent attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians.

Israel, as many have said, has every right to defend itself in response to attacks and to deter future attacks and other acts of aggression, coercion and interference. We stand with Israel to remove the ability of Hamas to repeat such atrocities. I think it's fair to say that Hamas has shown little if any interest in achieving peace in the region given their stated objectives of wiping Israel from the map. I heard my colleague in the Senate put it quite well earlier today. Senator Paterson said: 'The IDF looks to protect the Israeli people, whereas Hamas uses innocent Palestinian civilians to protect themselves, using them as human shields.' That speaks to me, saying that Hamas is nothing but a group of cowards. The actions of Hamas are not just a threat to the Israeli people but, as I've just said, they're a threat to the Palestinians as well.

I've received a number of emails in my office this week pointing out the atrocities that have happened and focusing predominantly on what is happening to innocent civilians in Gaza. But, interestingly, in those emails, there is no condemnation of Hamas's initial activities, and I find that disappointing. I find it disappointing that innocent Palestinian civilians who are looking to go about their ordinary business and improve their lives should suffer because of Hamas's power and their control of the Gaza Strip. It's through their power and control that those Palestinian people suffer. They fired rockets made from ripped-up pipes installed to develop water infrastructure. They base their military operations out of apartment buildings in areas were civilians congregate in order to induce the maximum collateral damage, should Israel be forced to retaliate.

I've been to Israel, and I've actually been to that particular police station in Sderot that was raided and burnt to the ground by those Hamas militants. I saw when I was there the remains of rockets that had been fired by Hamas into that town over a significant period of time. I went to the park. The play equipment in that park is designed to also act as a shelter, to provide protection for the children in the event of rockets being fired. Having been to those areas, it brings home how heinous these actions by Hamas have been. They fire rockets, artillery and mortar from residential neighbourhoods. Last night we saw that a potentially misfired Hamas rocket hit one of their own hospitals, killing many hundreds of people. For what purpose? There hiding amongst the innocent civilian population, Hamas clearly has no interest in furthering the Palestinian cause of self-determination. They seek only to destroy.

As I noted, I've received emails from residents who are concerned about Israel's actions to defend itself. Let me say to those who have sent me these emails: the underlying cause of the suffering and pain being endured both by everyday Palestinian citizens—innocent people who wish to go about their lives—and by innocent Israeli civilians is the same. As long as Hamas is allowed to act with impunity, neither side will know peace.

I hope that, out of this, Israel will be able to rid Gaza of Hamas and move forward in a new direction that promotes peace, ends the bloodshed and violence, and allows civilians on both sides of this conflict to lead the sorts of lives that we all enjoy in this country, in our multicultural society that recognises a wide variety of religions and cultures and provides tremendous opportunities. I know many people of Palestinian background or Jewish background have come here for a better life, as have people from many other parts of the world. I think it's terrific that they can come to Australia for a better life. But I hope that they get to lead that better life here, and that their relatives, friends and family back in Israel, Palestine and other parts of the world can enjoy some of that quality of life in their home countries and home communities. I hope that this conflict is resolved sooner rather than later. I stand with Israel and its right to defend and protect the lives and property of its people.

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The circumstances in Israel and Palestine are an indescribable tragedy, a nightmare. The world has been shocked and appalled and shares—through our common humanity, but particularly through our affected communities—some of the grief and extraordinary heartache being suffered. In Australia there is enormous sympathy for people in Israel and Gaza, whose lives have been torn apart by terror, violence and suffering. Eleven days ago, Israel suffered an abhorrent terrorist attack on civilians that resulted in more than 1,000 deaths and more than 3,000 casualties. More than 100 hostages were taken, including women, children, senior citizens and people with a disability. That is unconscionable, and they must be released without condition immediately.

Today the conflict continues, through rocket fire from Gaza and through the aerial bombardment and siege measures being applied by Israel. There shouldn't be any argument about the widest expression of sympathy and compassion for all those affected by this violence. There shouldn't be any argument about the widest calls for an end to the violence. I condemn utterly the terrorist attack by Hamas on the people of Israel—the wanton killing of civilians, the taking of hostages, the merciless and brutal violence. All of it is horrible and unconscionable, both in its totality and in its detail, in the stories of parents that lost murdered children and the footage of music festival goers hunted to their death. I cannot imagine the web of agony that has spread throughout families and communities in Israel itself. Of course that web extends to affected communities around the world and to communities here in Australia. We extend our care, sympathy, compassion and love to those people in pain. We say clearly in this time of bewilderment and fear that people with Israeli heritage and people of the Jewish faith are cared for and safe in Australia.

The events in Israel and Palestine are an awful reminder that indiscriminate violence results from the dehumanisation that is born of prejudice. Without question, antisemitism continues to be one of the most virulent and harmful kinds of bigotry the world has ever seen. We cannot be complacent about the existence of antisemitism. We must see it clearly wherever it exists and must call it out and combat it.

Religious, racial and ethnic prejudice is the scourge of decent and peaceful society. No-one should fear walking the streets of Australia on the basis that they wear the uniform of a Jewish school or if they wear a headscarf or a turban. We shouldn't pretend our history, even our recent history, is free of prejudice. We must be consistent in our approach to those matters. It's particularly incumbent on those of us who have the privilege and responsibility of working as representatives to make sure we speak about, and practice, tolerance, compassion and peaceful conduct.

The last thing Australia needs is to find itself replicating the divisions and intolerance that are the root cause of longstanding conflict in other parts of the world. We've seen in the past how terrorism overseas can manifest in social disorder and communal violence in Australia. In 2005, following the terrorist attacks in London, we had the Cronulla riots in Sydney, when mobs moved through the streets attacking anyone of Middle Eastern appearance. Strike Force Neil concluded that key elements of that conduct were racism and media manipulation. In the last week we've seen rallies in this country which involved fringe elements who gave voice to disgusting and frightening antisemitism. That prejudice and those sentiments have no place in Australia. Everyone in Australia has a right to live free from discrimination and fear, free from antisemitism and free from Islamophobia.

It's completely understandable and legitimate that Israel would respond to the Hamas terrorist attack. There is no question that every nation has an obligation to protect its citizens. The government of Israel has described its response as war. That is what is now occurring in terms of the aerial bombardment of Gaza and preparations for a ground assault. The practice of war is subject to international law and to the broader principles of humanitarian conduct. No country alone determines whether it is acting in observance of those laws and principles. Indeed, whenever violent conflict occurs, it is the role of all nations to uphold and assert international law and the standards of humanitarian conduct.

When the Leader of the Opposition says that there should be no calls for restraint in relation to violence directed at those who have shown no restraint, he appears to be saying that in such circumstances anything goes, and that is wrong. It's a statement that appears to ignore the fact that in every war the greater suffering is borne by innocent civilians, and that is the case right now. More than a thousand civilians were killed in the attacks by Hamas. More than 2,000 civilians have died already in Gaza as a result of the aerial bombardment by Israel. That is why urging restraint is always right and always necessary. That is why Australia urges restraint by all involved in violent conflict, including in the present conflict in Israel and Palestine. The United States has urged restraint. The United Nations has urged restraint.

I join with my fellow parliamentarians in saying that we reject, oppose and fight against terrorism not only because of the awful harm it does but because of the inhumanity it represents. We define ourselves and our values by rejecting that kind of conduct. We reject barbarism. We reject the indiscriminate suffering of civilians. We oppose and must condemn any conduct that amounts to collective punishment, not least because it is a breach of international law.

As a chilling matter of perspective, the point has been made that the terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas represented the greatest loss of life for Jewish people in a single day since the end of the Holocaust. That is testament to the scale and severity of the abhorrent violence and cruelty inflicted by Hamas on Israeli citizens. It also acts as a bitterly dark reminder that Hamas is guided by a doctrinal bigotry against people of the Jewish faith, and that context is pertinent. But as civilians in Gaza now suffer the response to those attacks, their circumstances cannot be without context. Civilians in Gaza already exist in a trapped and desperate position without adequate health services and basic infrastructure, without medicines and other basic goods, without freedom of movement or escape. The Palestinian people as a whole already exist under a form of blockade or occupation, and that occupation is illegal. All Palestinians are, as it stands, prevented from achieving the just and legitimate ambition to exist peacefully in a state of their own.

Last night the Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza was bombed. It is estimated that more than 500 people have been killed. This is a statement from the World Health Organization:

WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip. The hospital was operational, with patients, health and care givers, and internally displaced people sheltering there. Early reports indicate hundreds of fatalities and injuries.

The hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced.

WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and health care. Evacuation orders must be reversed. International humanitarian law must be abided by, which means health care must be actively protected and never targeted.

Half of the population of Gaza are children. Are a million children going to be consigned to a life in a coastal strip that has been levelled to the ground? This parliament is expressing its deepest sorrow, sympathy and support for the people of Israel and for people of Israeli and Jewish heritage around the world, but especially here in our Australian community in the aftermath of an extraordinary awful terrorist attack. We express our heartfelt sympathy and concern for the Palestinian people in Gaza and for Australian Palestinians who are watching their family and friends struggle for survival. In recognition of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which comes on top of the significant disadvantage that existed before the war commenced, the Australian government on Saturday committed $10 million in additional assistance, noting that our contribution to the vital work of UNRRA was doubled in September.

In the weeks ahead we should urge a cessation of violence and a return to peace at every opportunity. We should counsel restraint and condemn terrorism and condemn any breach of international law or humanitarian principle, including collective punishment. We here in Australia must reject the taking of sides and the fomenting of prejudice and division, reject and respond firmly to any hate speech or racial and religious practice—all of us, every day must practise this—in speech and conduct moderation, tolerance, compassion and support for social cohesion, harmony and peace.

Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to condemn the unprovoked attacks by a militant terrorist group Hamas on Israel. The footage and stories of sheer terror being left in the wake of these attacks have made the blood of every Australian run cold. The blatant disregard for human life shown by this terrorist group has left our nation in a state of shock and disbelief. With news being made available almost instantaneously, our country has watched in horror as these events have unfolded before our very eyes. We have watched the senseless murders of babies, children and the elderly and others taken hostage by Hamas as a human shield. These despicable acts have left many wondering how any human could be capable of such evil. Firstly I wish to acknowledge both the Israelis and Palestinians who have been swept into a war they did not ask to be in. Both sides have lost hundreds of innocent people, and thousands more have been left with physical and emotional trauma. My thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends who have lost loved ones in such horrific circumstances. The people of Israel and Palestine remained firmly in my prayers, and I wish them safety during this time of upheaval.

It is important to reiterate to Palestinians that in the condemnation of Hamas and their reign of terror over Israel, this is not an act of anger towards Palestine. Our countries still share a long friendship, and we will continue to share close ties. It is a shameful day for humanity to witness the largest loss of life of Jewish people since the Holocaust atrocity. The attacks by Hamas on Israel were unprovoked and unjust, and have incited fear throughout the world, yet we will not bow down to acts of terror. I stand alongside my coalition colleagues in publicly condemning the attacks and proudly supporting Israel in defending their people. We hope the road ahead for Israel is not long and that the war they have been forced to fight comes swiftly to an end.

There has been too much blood shed from the innocent lives of both sides. As we watch the events unfold across the ocean, it brought angst to the families and friends of those who have loved ones caught up in the crossfire. However, I condemn the actions of those who were celebrating in the streets of Australia over the loss of life in Israel. It disturbed many Australians to see people rejoice in the death and destruction Hamas has brought to the people of Israel. This behaviour is abhorrent and unjust. It is despicable to witness people celebrating the death and destruction of human life at the hands of terrorists. I say to the Jewish community of Australia: the coalition condemns these acts of antisemitism. Our nation is one of peace and acceptance. These demonstrations of hate towards the people of Israel are not what our country is built on. We as Australians should not and will not tolerate this level of animosity towards others. To the people of Israel: you have our support, as you have had throughout history. You will overcome this great challenge.

I'd also like to bring the attention of the chamber to the more than 10,000 Australian citizens still in Israel, with many of those potentially looking to evacuate to safety. There have been many problems for Australian citizens who are desperately trying to find a means of escape. Last weekend I was contacted by a Capricornian local, Kirsten, whose 21-year-old daughter was caught up in the attacks. Kirsten's daughter, Rhianna, had only arrived in Israel last month to undertake training at one of the world's best dance schools, the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. On Saturday 7 October, Rhianna called her mother in a panic-stricken state and was desperate to come home after the news began to break about the terrorist attacks. Kirsten described to me the sounds of bombs exploding while on the phone to her distraught daughter. This is something no mother should ever have to hear and will for a very long time be something that will continue to haunt her.

In the following days, Kirsten and her daughter struggled to find relevant information on what to do during this time of crisis. Hours were taken up trying to seek the help they needed to get Rhianna home. With information she needed difficult to locate, Kirsten contacted me for advice on what to do, as there was simply nothing being updated online. My terrific staff and I were able to help assist Rhianna as best we could and provided information on how best to reach out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who were able to help Kirsten and Rhianna navigate their way through a difficult time by providing the assistance needed to help bring Rhianna home. After a number of days, including time spent in a bomb shelter, Rhianna and two other young Australian women were able to leave Israel and arrive in the safety of London a few days later. What a relief it would have been for their families to know their children were safe. My thoughts and prayers are with those girls as they heal from the trauma of what they've been through.

The complexity and organisation required for repatriation flights continues to grow ever more difficult as conditions on the ground deteriorate even further. I thank the Australian government for providing that support and assistance to Australians caught in war-torn Israel. There were incredibly emotional scenes at Sydney Airport this week as the first flight arrived back in Australia, with 222 people being united with their loved ones again. In an ABC report last Friday, it stated that there were 1,600 Australians registered with the department, with many more registering daily. The work to rescue as many as possible is still not over. We as a parliament must persist in remaining united in our support to bring our Australians home. To those Australians who remain stuck in Israel: you are in our thoughts, and we pray for your safe return to Australian shores as fast as possible.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What the world witnessed in Israel was and unspeakable act of barbarism. It was an attack which this House is rightly condemning. What Hamas has done is indefensible, and it is right that this parliament come together to make clear the view of the vast majority of Australians that the attack on Israel was unspeakable and indefensible and rightly can be, has been and will be condemned.

In all the barbarity that we've witnessed, what I find to be the most disturbing element of Hamas's attack is that it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that Hamas was trying to provoke Israel into further violence. When you look at the attack, you ask, 'What was Hamas thinking? What did they think they were going to achieve? What message were they trying to send?' It's impossible, in my view, to avoid the conclusion that they were hoping that Israel would attack back in a way which would receive international opprobrium. They were actually trying to provoke an attack on the people that they claim, or pretend, to represent. Of all the unspeakable things that there were, that—actually trying to poke Israel, to provoke Israel, into attacking the Palestinian people—is the most unspeakable, in my view.

Many fine words have been spoken in this debate, but there are a few things that, on behalf of myself and my community, I want to say. Firstly, as I said, this attack, which we all watched, was unspeakable. I think the worst for me was probably the footage of the attack on the dance party. We can all relate it to people we know. They were young people watching a very celebratory event. I'm sure they were at first surprised and confused, when the attack started, at what was going on, and then they were running for their lives. They were people with so much to look forward to. Since then we've seen the kidnapping, the hostage-taking et cetera. That has been something that we wouldn't have expected to see. There have been missile attacks on Israel. These are awful, terrible, horrible things, but we do expect them, and the Israeli people know and expect them as well, as much as they are abhorred. But the attack on that dance party was at a particular level of depravity, I think.

I also want to say to the Palestinian people, who, in my view, have legitimate aspirations and grievances, that we know that Hamas does not speak for you and represent you. To the people who believe, as I do—and as I think the vast majority of honourable members do—in a two-state solution I say: we cannot give up on that. A solution in which Israel and Palestine can live beside each other in peace and harmony is one that we cannot walk away from. As well, I want to say to Australians of Jewish faith and Islamic faith that here in Australia there is no place for hatred and there is no place for racism or religious bigotry. I've spoken to friends who've been subject to antisemitism in the street in recent days and weeks. That is unspeakable. I know of people who've suffered Islamophobia in the streets in recent days and weeks. I'd like to say it doesn't happen in Australia, but it has happened. Again, all I can say to those people—people of Jewish faith, people of Islamic faith—is that we are with you and that whatever supports we can lend we will.

The government today has allocated $50 million to the security of faith-based places, as we should, and no doubt there'll be more to do. That's important, but what is equally important is sending the message that, whether you're walking down the street as a Jew or as a Muslim, you should be able to walk down the street without your faith being an issue, without anybody giving you the benefit of their views on your faith. It's none of their business what your faith is or how you live your life, and that message is very clear. I think the motion moved by the Prime Minister and supported by the opposition encapsulated all this very well. I thought it was a fine piece of work, a fine bringing together of the words. It reflected well the sentiment of—I can't say the whole House, but I can say the vast bulk of the House and the vast bulk of the Australian people.

So we will, unfortunately—and I fear there's worse to come—have more footage that will be difficult for all people, all Australians, to watch. But it won't be as difficult for us as it will be for the innocent people of Israel and the innocent people of Palestine who did not seek this fight, who have aspirations simply to live in peace and harmony. This parliament, as we are obliged and expected to do, has come together in this moment with sentiments that are well expressed in the motion moved by the Prime Minister, which I endorse and associate myself with, as I know many members do. As we go through this difficult period, it's more important than ever that Australians come together and stick together, and I have confidence that we will.

Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been said that the only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. Evil will prevail when good people say nothing. That was said long before the Holocaust, although it has often been used to attempt to explain, in some way, how, 80 years ago, the Nazis were able to murder six million Jewish people. Evil prevailed back then because many who should have done or said something remained silent. Evil is what occurred on 7 October this year in Israel. I stand here to call out that evil. I stand here as well in support of and to endorse the motion brought by the Prime Minister earlier this week and the contents of his motion, which has bipartisan support. I also support the comments made by the Leader of the Opposition in support of that motion.

It needs to be remembered that 7 October 2023 was the day on which more Jewish people were murdered in a single day than on any other day since the Holocaust. I first want to extend my deepest condolences to the people of Israel during this very difficult time and also to the many Jewish Australians who have family and friends in Israel. I use this opportunity to express my unequivocal support for the State of Israel and particularly for its inherent right to defend itself. This was very clear in the bipartisan motion that we heard on Monday. I defend the right of Israel to defend itself after being savagely and barbarically attacked by Hamas. Hamas is a recognised terrorist organisation. Hamas has committed a unilateral act of war against the people of Israel—against the State of Israel. When we have heard about and seen the atrocities that have been committed, I say that Hamas has committed and continues to commit acts of extreme inhumanity: the murder of innocent men, women and children; kidnapping of civilians; missiles raining down on cities; young people massacred at a music festival; widescale sexual assault of women and girls. Hamas exists with one intention: the destruction of the Jewish people; the destruction of the State of Israel.

Hamas has no interest in a peaceful two-state solution where people of different faiths live and work in peace, safety and harmony. Hamas is an enemy of Israel. By instigating this war, by its sheer brutality, it has also demonstrated that it cares nothing for the people of Palestine. It's using innocent Palestinians as human shields. Its actions have led directly to the humanitarian crisis now unfolding in the Gaza. It is hard to come to any other conclusion, except to the most obvious of conclusions—that, when Hamas launched this attack on Israel, it knew that Israel was going to respond, as Israel has a right to do. The very people of Palestine that Hamas purports to represent it is now inflicting untold damage upon.

Evil prevails when good people do not act. When reflecting on that proposition and on the dreadful events that have unfolded and will continue to unfold, evil often has its roots in much smaller demonstrations of prejudice. Part of the motion that was brought forward on Monday said:

… an attack on any religion is an attack on all religions and that we all share a responsibility to unite, condemn and defeat such an attack on our common values and way of life;

That is certainly a value that is inherent to us here in Australia. So I also take this opportunity to condemn all forms of antisemitism. There is no place for that in our country. I similarly condemn Islamophobia. I condemn all forms of racial and religious vilification. That's what we do in this country. That's why Australia is the most successful multicultural country in the world.

Since its formation in 1948, Israel has had to continue to fight every day for its very existence. It is the internationally recognised home of the Jewish people. Australia and Israel enjoy a friendship based on many similar underlying principles. Israel is a multiparty democracy. It supports the rule of law and freedom of worship. As a nation we must continue to defend our friend. We must be united, strident and completely uncompromising when it comes to condemning what has happened.

In this place we often disagree across the chamber on policy, on politics, on the best way to deliver for the Australian people, but on this issue the coalition stands united with the government. I have seen during my 16 months in this place that the best is achieved in this place when we come together, and we come together when the occasion calls for it, when there is an issue that is of such import that it calls for a unified approach, for consoling words, for a compassionate tone. That is what I have seen this week from government MPs, coalition MPs and most of the crossbench MPs.

However, there is something I have to call out—the actions that we have seen from those in the Greens in this place. I must say that I did not think I could be surprised about any actions taken or words spoken by the Greens party. However, this was not the case on Monday. On Monday, the Leader of the Greens indicated that his party would not support the bipartisan motion. But then they went further. They sought amendments to erase the statement that Israel has a right to defend itself. This lack of moral code that exists within the Greens party was clear for Australia to see.

Similarly, the action by others in this place—the member for Clark and those from my home state, which did surprise me, the member for Mackellar and the member for North Sydney—in supporting the Greens proposed amendment was conduct that was equally reprehensible, grossly insulting to Jewish people, and, in my view, not worthy of this place. They were out of step with the sentiments expressed within this place and out of step with the feelings of most Australians.

I take this opportunity to conclude that, despite the most difficult times being faced by Israel, by the Israeli people, and by innocent people within Palestine, I am confident that the values that are embodied within the state of Israel, those of faith, of democracy, of religious freedom, of the rule of law, of tolerance, of perseverance and of compassion, will prevail.

Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Many Australians are watching and have been watching with horror and deep sorrow the events taking place in Israel and Gaza. I know this is a very distressing situation for Australians that are in Gaza and in Israel and of course for their families at home.

I start by acknowledging the devastating loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives and the terrible harm inflicted upon innocent civilians as a result of conflict.

As we've heard today from many speakers, all loss of human life matters, and I join the Prime Minister and other speakers in this place in condemning any threats or acts of violence against innocent people. They should never be tolerated, and, wherever it occurs, we cannot be indifferent to human suffering. It is in these dire and difficult moments that we must recognise and embrace our shared humanity.

Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel 10 days ago, with the indiscriminate killing and kidnapping of innocent civilians, is detestable and has been condemned in the strongest possible terms. Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation, and these attacks by Hamas do not advance the cause of Palestinian self-determination or statehood. Far from representing the Palestinian people, Hamas undermines Palestinian needs and aspirations. Hamas's actions have pushed any prospects of peace further from reach, undermining the legitimate aspirations and needs of the Palestinian people themselves, and it should be noted that their avowed objective is the destruction of the state of Israel. They do not believe in a two state solution and therefore cannot be a partner for peace.

To reiterate what the Prime Minister clearly stated today: we should be very clear that it is Hamas, not the Palestinian people, that is the enemy. The Palestinian people are suffering greatly, and this suffering has impacted on generations of Palestinians. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which is home to two million people, is deteriorating rapidly. We are monitoring the situation closely and we support the work of the United Nations, the United States, Israel and Egypt to establish safe passage for Gaza civilians.

The cycle of hatred, violence and despair between Israelis and Palestinians has been ongoing for almost a century. Now, I'm a person of Egyptian heritage. My own family has been part of this conflict for the past 70 years. My grandfather, my father and my uncles fought in the Egyptian army in the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973. Our own family home back in Egypt, in Port Said, was reduced to rubble by Israeli air strikes in 1956, and I, like many Australians, have a personal understanding and connection to the region and its history. I acknowledge the decades of suffering that Palestinians have had under occupation, but I have to state the moral clarity here, as we've heard from other speakers: that all of these facts—the suffering, the occupation—do not justify Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, their indiscriminate and detestable killing and kidnapping of innocent civilians. That is why it's important to disconnect those two points. Hamas's actions have been condemned—rightly so—in the strongest possible terms because they are abhorrent and they do not represent or advance the Palestinian cause of self-determination.

Now, despite all of this, despite the current crisis and the decades of conflict, I still support a two-state solution. It might sound strange to say that, but long-term stability and peace will not be achieved in the region until Palestinian self-determination is realised and until the Palestinian people have a state of their own. Many Israelis know this. I have continued to advocate and urge that we work continually with our friends and allies in the international community to commit to advancing what has been an elusive long-term goal: a sustainable two-state solution. It has to be based on justice, self-determination, and peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike. In fact, Australia has a long and proud history of supporting a just and durable two-state solution to this conflict, and it's one that includes Palestinian self-determination as well as a recognition of the existence of Israel and its right to defend itself and its people from attack.

Ultimately, the only way a two-state solution can be achieved is through a direct negotiated outcome between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and we are far away from that at the moment. And any lasting resolution to the Middle East conflict cannot be at the expense of either the Palestinians or the Israelis. During this crisis, our government has called for the utmost efforts to be made to protect innocent civilian lives, and as a government we condemn, as we have heard from the Prime Minister today, any indiscriminate attacks and targeting of civilian infrastructure. As the Prime Minister said today, the protection of civilian lives must come first, and respect for international humanitarian law is paramount. That is why Australia has also joined the international community's efforts to establish and maintain humanitarian access to Gaza, including safe passage for civilians. We have done this by engaging at all levels with countries in the Middle East and beyond in support of the protection of civilians and the containment of this conflict.

We know this is a very challenging time for so many. We are providing multiple repatriation flights out of Israel and communicating with Australians in the region, including identifying Australian citizens in Gaza. We continue to provide updates to registered Australians. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Wong, has specifically called for that safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to civilians affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There have been strong and constant diplomatic efforts by Australia and our allies since the beginning of this crisis, including Minister Wong's efforts with her US and Egyptian counterparts to ensure the Egyptian controlled Rafah border crossing into Gaza can open as a humanitarian corridor to provide Gazans with Australia's aid and aid from many countries around the world. In addition, the diplomatic efforts are geared to ensuring the resumption of water supply, particularly in southern Gaza where there are many civilians. Foreign minister Wong and Minister Pat Conroy also announced an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza, and that is really to provide medical support to victims of conflict as well as emergency water, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene services, and child protection. The government of course is committed to assessing the need for further support as it arises.

My role within the government and as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is always one focused on the national interest, and this includes the impact on our national security and implications for Australia's social cohesion from the impacts of regional instability as well as the geopolitical instability arising from this conflict. I understand that many Australians wish to express their views, and they have strongly held views about this conflict and about what is happening. The Australian government of course supports the right of Australians to express their opinions peacefully in peaceful protest, but we categorically condemn any antisemitism, Islamophobia or dehumanisation of any kind. I utterly condemn discriminatory behaviours, hate speech and incitement of hatred and violence based on religion or ethnicity. Those behaviours and statements are not the same as Australians' right to peacefully protest. Right now, it is more critical than ever that we maintain the social cohesion and the respect for one another to safeguard what we all value, this multicultural and pluralistic society.

We must ensure the protection of children, school children and schools, places of worship, synagogues and all Australians as they go about their daily lives during these tense periods. Threats or acts of violence against innocent people should never be tolerated or justified, and, as I said, we should never be indifferent to human suffering. Wherever it occurs, we must recognise and embrace our shared humanity, and, in these times, that is more important than ever. The Prime Minister summed up this approach recently in this place when he said:

Protecting innocent people is not a show of weakness. It is a measure of strength because true strength never turns its back on humanity. We care about the lives of everyone caught in this conflict—that is who we are as Australians.

Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to condemn the brutal Hamas attack on innocent Israeli civilians 10 days ago. Like most Australians I hope and pray for peace in the Middle East, and it is not for me to say what ground needs to be given by up which party to obtain the peace we all desire in this region. That is a matter for them in their negotiations. Longman does not have a large Jewish community or a synagogue, but we do have a large Christian community, and there is definitely a shared spiritual connection and a fondness and respect for Israel. The loss of life in any conflict is of course horrific, whether that be militarily or civilian. We all understand and cherish the value of human life. However, we must also understand that in conflict, regrettably, there will be military lives lost as part of the process of war. These brave souls put their lives on the line for their country or the ideologies they so passionately believe in, mostly by choice. They do this for the rest of their community, citizens and the rest of us here in Australia. For that I will be eternally grateful.

It is indeed strange that there are 'rules of war'. One would expect, when it comes to a matter of life and death, that the gloves would be off and the concept of 'anything goes' would be enacted, but, in the main, it's not so. Generally targets are military and armed forces try to ensure no civilians are killed or injured in any attacks made on their enemies. This is why the recent attack of the terrorist organisation Hamas on innocent Israeli civilians must be condemned. When I saw the images and read the reports I was sick to my stomach—babies beheaded and burned, women raped and innocent unarmed young people, simply having a good time at a music festival, gunned down in what can only be described as brutal and cowardly actions. To date, the loss of life stands at over 1,400 souls.

To add to the disgust of many Australians, it was the actions and reactions of some groups in Australia that also outraged me and those Australians. We have Jewish Australians afraid to leave their homes and Jewish children not wearing uniforms that identify, in any way, their Jewish heritage. We have rallies of antisemitic groups and people in our capital cities celebrating the disgusting attack on these innocent Israelis and chants of, 'Gas the Jews' resounding in some of our communities. These protests and rallies had not been approved or sanctioned by governments and yet they still proceeded without arrests or being shut down. What message does this send to the international community on where Australia stands on this sort of disgraceful behaviour? This antisemitic behaviour is simply unAustralian. Australians should be, and are, appalled at and ashamed of the lack of action in closing them down.

But one of the most unbelievable acts in this process has been the lack of sensitivity and compassion by people and groups here in our own country. Even some of my fellow parliamentarians, mostly from the Greens party, have chosen, at a time when many in the community are mourning and distressed over these senseless, barbaric attacks, to actually speak out against Israel, going so far as to use words like 'genocide'. People in my electorate are contacting my office in anger and disgust, and rightly so. Australia has always been proud of the fact that we have freedom of speech. However, this type of insensitive and hurtful—some would even say hate—speech has never been the Australian way. Those who have spoken and acted in this manner should be ashamed and apologise. Anyone who celebrates the pain and suffering inflicted by this type of barbaric behaviour does not represent the feelings of mainstream Australia and should be condemned.

I say to the Israeli nation, which has long been a friend of Australia, and the Jewish community in Australia that I support you and I condemn those murderous and cowardly attacks on your people and these racist protests, rallies and spiteful, insensitive words spoken here on Australian soil.

Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this motion by the Prime Minister. I unequivocally condemn last week's attacks on Israel by Hamas. The decision of Hamas to attack Israeli towns and villages was indefensible. The heinous acts of these terrorists, the targeting and murder of civilians, the taking of Israeli hostages and the murderous and indiscriminate rocket fire were inexcusable and abhorrent. We should not, and we must not, equate Hamas with the civilian population of Gaza, which this week, along with the Israelis, is paying the price for Hamas's reprehensible actions. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. It does not reflect their needs and their aspirations. They, the Palestinian people, deserve better. There is no path to peace, safety, justice or freedom via aggression and war, via the attacks undertaken by Hamas on 7 October 2023.

As a parliamentarian, I know that continuation of this conflict will lead to more suffering and more death. I implore those involved to protect human life, to secure safe civilian corridors and to observe international humanitarian law. As a doctor, I've spent most of my life working as a paediatric neurologist, caring, above all, for the lives of children. It is beyond devastating to read of the deaths of children on both sides of the Gaza border; of babies killed in kibbutzim or abducted from their homes as helpless hostages; of children without oxygen or without pain relief in hospitals in Gaza; of adolescents frightened for their siblings, their parents and themselves; and of exhausted doctors trying to treat thousands of injured civilians in circumstances which are barely possible to imagine. The news overnight of hundreds of children and adults killed or injured in the explosion in the Gaza City hospital is distressing to us all. There is no path to peace through such events.

As a mother, I know that members of our community right now need love and support. Every Jewish person in this country has been touched by this tragedy and is hurting. Children attending Jewish schools should be able to wear their uniforms and to proudly identify as being Jewish without fearing the antisemitism that many of their grandparents suffered through the Holocaust. But, equally, Muslim children in Australia must not be subjected to Islamophobia. Our country, as good as it is, is as wonderful as it is because it has embraced all races, all religions and all ethnic groups. I also want to acknowledge that we live in a time when the unfiltered details of this war are known to adults and children around the world in real time. This is a time when we fear that our children will see unthinkably horrible images on their social media streams. The trauma of this is universal, but it's unthinkably horrible for the friends and families of Israeli and Palestinian individuals who've seen online images of people that they know and love involved in this conflict.

Sarah Saaroni is a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor. She was one of Israel's first citizens when it declared independence in 1948, but she now lives in my electorate in Kooyong. We swim in the same pool in Hawthorn. Sarah is grieving for all civilians caught up in this, the worst violence in the last 50 years of the never-ending conflict in Israel and Palestine. Yesterday in the Age she was quoted as saying:

Who is really the victim in all of this? … It is the innocent people on both sides. The children, the families. It is innocent people who always lose the most.

Earlier this year I met with Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan when they came to Melbourne. These two inspirational men have both lost children to the Israeli-Palestinain conflict. One is Muslim, one is Jewish. Together, united by grief, they were travelling the world advocating for peace. They said:

We cannot keep living like this … we cannot continue killing each other and fighting each other.

…   …   …

We don't need people to import our conflict to their society, you already have problems of your own. We demand of you to be pro-peace, to be against injustice …

Now more than ever we have to work together to support our communities in their hurt and their trauma. We have to hold each other close. We need all people, all governments, to find a path to peace in this sad time of terrible violence.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak on this motion on the Hamas attacks on Israel. The images from those initial attacks on Israel, on the kibbutz and the music festival, were horrendous. I want it on the record that I completely condemn Hamas for undertaking that action. There is no justification, and the loss of life was horrendous. However, this has got to stop. A child is a child, whether they're an Israeli child or a Palestinian child. A civilian is a civilian, whether they're an Israeli civilian or a Palestinian civilian. The images that we've seen over the last couple of days of the destruction in that part of the world should be a clear incentive to come to a solution for an issue that has been plaguing that part of the world for decades.

It's no secret in this place that I have connections to the Palestinian people here in Australia. I have spent time in the West Bank, and my opinion on the circumstances there have been formed by what I've seen with my own eyes. This has got to be the wake-up call for the rest of the world to work with the Israelis and the Palestinians to come to a resolution that will end this violence forever. Otherwise we are just going to see recurrences of the sorts of things we've seen in the last week or so time and time again. We've got to remember that Gaza is a very, very small piece of land, with two million people. There is nowhere to escape this violence. People are fleeing to the south, to safe zones, where they are still finding themselves in deep danger. There is no way out.

I think that's the difficult thing here. At this stage, there doesn't seem to be a pathway for this to stop. We can't just keep killing people until it becomes so horrendous that a decision has to be made. That decision needs to be made now. There needs to be a ceasefire on both sides so some form of humanitarian resolution can be agreed upon. It just can't continue.

Many people from that part of the world, whether they be Jewish people or Palestinians, have found refuge in Australia. We should remember that their children should be able to walk the streets freely and attend school without being put in danger, whether they be Jewish children or, as I've heard this morning, Palestinian children. Those people have taken refuge in this country, and this is not the Australian way. It's not the Australian way to undertake that form of intimidation and violence here. You don't solve the problems of Israel and Palestine by playing them out on the streets of our cities here in Australia. That is not a solution for anyone.

As I said, I've spent time in the West Bank, and, quite frankly, it was considered too dangerous to go to Gaza even six or seven years ago when I was there. But, from what I've seen in the West Bank and from the people I've spoken to, when people lose hope, when there's no future, evil prospers, and that's what we're seeing now. I've spoken to university students in Bethlehem—bright, intelligent, beautiful people—who had absolutely no hope of a future with any positivity. That's the sort of environment that fosters the horrendous violence we've seen.

There needs to be a solution to get rid of Hamas, because, quite frankly, they knew what was going to happen. They see the death of their own people as some sort of noble cause that will send a message to the rest of the world. They don't seek a solution to the problem. They are seeking the elimination of Israel. That's not going to happen. There needs to be a way forward.

We hear a lot about Australia's support for a two-state solution. My personal view is that that would be very difficult to achieve. But, because it is difficult and because it is complex, through the support of other countries, whether it's other Arab countries or the United States, efforts need to be going into finding a way to peace, because this can't escalate. With Hezbollah starting to be active in the northern part of Israel and with the actions from other states nearby, the potential for this to escalate into something completely horrific is quite high.

I have no answer. The issue is so dire, so horrible, with no way forward. All I'm asking for is that we stop this madness, that we stop this death, and that we sit down and work on a way to save lives. Just tonight I've seen images of dead and badly wounded children—toddlers. What have they or the children that were murdered in the initial attack by Hamas ever done? It's just senseless bloodshed and it needs to stop.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hamas is a terrorist organisation. It's a declared terrorist organisation. There is no place in this world for terrorist organisations, and we've seen again why this is so with the attacks that Hamas made against the state of Israel—acts of barbarism the like of which we hadn't seen since ISIS. We were all prepared to condemn what ISIS did, and every single one of us should be prepared to condemn what Hamas did.

Although there were acts beyond belief—there were acts beyond humanity right across the board—the thing that shocked us to the core was the slitting of the throats of those innocent young children. How, in any way, that could be seen as justified is beyond any comprehension. There is absolutely no excuse—no excuse—for that despicable behaviour. We have to call it out, and we have to support action to ensure that it is dealt with, because if terrorism like that is allowed to exist, if it's allowed to blossom, then the type of world that we will begin to live in is not the type of world I think any of us want to occupy. As hard as it is—and it is hard—to have to deal with terrorism, we have to have the will and we have to make sure that we are there to support Israel in defending itself from this terrorist organisation.

I want to mention the speech which was made by the Prime Minister on this motion and the one made by the Leader of the Opposition. It is fantastic to see bipartisanship on an issue like this, because this is an issue we should all stand together on. This is an issue we should all stand together on and make sure that we condemn what took place. I think it is an absolute credit to our democracy that we are able to come together and condemn the actions that took place on 7 October. We have to make sure that we continue in a bipartisan way to condemn acts of terrorism wherever they occur and in whichever part of the world they occur. This is especially so when it comes to Israel.

Seventy-five years ago, the state of Israel was born, and it was born after the most unimaginable horror that occurred during the Holocaust. Many of us have visited the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem or other memorials to the Holocaust and have been shaken to the bone by what occurred. But the world acted and gave the state of Israel a sanctuary, a home, a place where they could say, 'This is our nation state.' That nation state has every right to exist. There is no place for equivalence on this, because Hamas and others don't want to see Israel exist. I'll say that again: Hamas and others do not want to see Israel exist. So if we are to look at two-state solutions we have to be absolutely clear that it will not be Hamas that provides that two-state solution, because all they want to do is eliminate Israel. Sadly, it seems that Hezbollah is not far behind them. And not far behind Hezbollah and Hamas is Iran. Iran also needs to be called out, because progress was being made towards some long-lasting solution in the Middle East and yet Iran is doing everything it can to make sure that doesn't happen. Anyone who will not say, loudly and clearly, that Israel has the right to exist can never, ever be part of an ultimate two-state solution.

When it comes to terrorism—and we have seen this with those barbaric acts which took place on 7 October—the only way we are going to be able to deal with them is by making these terrorist organisations know that we will hunt them down. We will find them and we will do our very, very best to eliminate them. If we don't do that, the sad reality is that they will strike again—they will come again and rebuild. Sadly, that is part of their business model.

The tragedy is that they're prepared to use their people to seek their ends. This isn't about a long-lasting peace. This isn't about providing the security, the homes, the water, the sewerage, the health and the educational outcomes that all communities want. This is very much about brutal power—power gained by the sword; power gained by any means—which, to us, in a wonderful, modern society, has absolutely no place.

As we know, Israel understands that this poses a threat to its very existence. Israelis understand that they are now going to have to undertake a mission into Gaza that will lead to loss of life on the Israeli side and that of the Palestinians in Gaza. But they have to act, because if they don't act then there will be more innocent blood shed in their state.

I ask this: if that was occurring here in Australia and we were being threatened and attacked like that, what do you think our reaction would be? Do you think the Australian people would say, 'Fine, government. Stand by and let this occur. Let innocent children have their throats slit. Let innocent women be raped. Let soldiers be killed and their bodies danced upon'? Do you think we would sit there and say, 'Let that take place'?

No matter who we are, the one thing that drives us above all else is our own personal safety and the personal safety of our loved ones, our communities and, ultimately, our nation. It's why the nation state and the family are such powerful tools in communities. No, we would not step back and allow this to happen, nor would the Australian people. We have to understand that that is why the Israeli government and its people will not stand back and allow this to happen.

The best thing that could occur is that Hamas understand that their way is never going to succeed. They should immediately release the hostages they are holding and say that the terrorist way is no longer the way that they are going to follow. I understand that that's unlikely to happen, sadly, and that is why Israel is left with no choice. There will be innocent blood spilt on both sides and there will be Israeli soldiers who will give up their lives to defend their nation. But after 75 years, Israel knows that the only way it will continue to exist is by making sure that it fights for its existence. I am absolutely privileged to be part of this bipartisan motion, which agrees to that fact.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, a Jewish friend of mine told me that he felt afraid to send his children to school here in Australia. The same day, a Muslim friend of mine told me that he was afraid his family in Gaza would not be alive tomorrow. We're a long way away from what's happening on the other side of the world, but it's having an impact here. The fear, the angst and the anger are palpable.

It's hard to believe that people are capable of the sort of evil that we've seen on display on our television screens: the murder of teenagers going to a festival, the murder of grandmothers, the murder of babies. It's like a horror movie in real life, and we stand here together in condemnation of it. I think most of us are still reeling at the sickening barbarity of it, the indiscriminate evil of it. But as we saw those images we also knew what would come next—more violence, more death of innocent people. History tells us that, and we're bearing witness to it again today with the destruction of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital and the death of hundreds of more innocent people. All of this just leads to more fear, more dread, more anger, more hate, there and here.

We can and we should condemn any indiscriminate attack and the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, and we do. Australia joins with others in calling for international law to always be upheld. We are so lucky to live here in the best country in the world. I say often to my community that one of the reasons we are the best country in the world is that we are made up of people from all around the world—people from all different backgrounds, all different religions, all different cultures. We're respectful of each other. We live next to each other, we are neighbours to each other, and we live in peace. In that sense, we are a symbol, we are a message to the rest of the world. But that is being tested at the moment too, and it will be tested even more in the days and weeks ahead if, as we suspect, more people die. We can't control what is happening on the other side of the world, but we can make sure that what is happening there does not pull us apart here. What we do next matters. We have a responsibility, all of us as community leaders, to try to turn the temperature down.

We have an obligation to understand the fears of my two friends. They want us to know that every innocent life should be protected, Israeli and Palestinian. They want us to know that Hamas and Palestine are not the same thing. They want to be protected, and they want to feel safe here at home. In the lifetime of my grandparents, we have all seen the evil that antisemitism can reap, and in just the last few years in New Zealand we have seen what the poison of Islamophobia can produce. In the dark corners of our country, that scourge exists here too, and, where we see it, we must condemn it. But we can't just condemn it and hope that it will go away. We have to work together to eliminate it. That's our job as community leaders, and that's what my two friends ask of us. Just like all of us, they dream of two countries, a two-state solution, no blockades and no terror, just two peoples living peacefully next door to one another.

That's something we take for granted, like dropping off our kids at school and knowing they are going to come home safe, or teenagers going to a musical festival and having the time of their lives, or going to bed at night in your apartment and knowing that it won't be rubble in the morning. The terrible truth, though, is that the horror of the last week or so means that that life for Israelis and Palestinians is now further away than ever. This moment is too important for politics or the sometimes petty squabbles of this place. This moment and this motion call on us—all of us—to come together: in grief for all those innocent lives already lost; in hope, however improbable, that there will be no more; and in belief, however hopeless things seem right now, that there is still a better world that lies ahead for my two friends.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this bipartisan motion, and I rise also to condemn Hamas and its militant terrorist attacks on Israel and its ongoing barbarity. I stand in support of Israel and the people of Jewish faith wherever they are living, whether it's in Israel, here in Australia or around the world. Like them, we mourn for the lives lost and pray for those still missing or those who have been taken hostage. There is endless trauma, worry and despair for the family and friends of the nearly 200 babies, children and adults who are still missing or being held hostage.

Make no mistake, this attack and killing of at least 1,300 people in one day was Israel's worst day since the Holocaust. I want to express my deepest sympathy and offer sincere condolences to the people and State of Israel; the Jewish members of parliament here in Australia, in particular my colleague the member for Berowra; as well as the Jewish community here in Australia, many of whom have family and friends who have been or are directly affected in Israel. None of us will forget where we were when we first heard of the horrendous attacks and saw the images as the attacks and atrocities unfolded. It was horror for us all and horror for the people in Israel. It was disgustingly savage, abhorrent brutality and a disgusting attack on Israeli citizens and civilians by Hamas. Hamas is a listed, prescribed terror organisation. Make no mistake, they are terrorists.

Many of us were thinking just how on earth we would have felt and what we would have done in our communities or homes when the 2,200 missiles started hitting. How would we have felt if it were our children, our grandchildren, our family, our friends or our own community members? We thought about the heartbreak we would have felt if our young family members were at the Nova music festival and among the 260 who were driven into the desert and indiscriminately gunned down. We thought about how we would be constantly reliving the terror that these young people felt as they tried to escape. We thought about how we would have felt if it were our family, friends or neighbours who were shot as they tried to flee or get to safety and were shot in their vehicles.

But we could never understand the extraordinary and dreadful brutality of babies being beheaded or killed in their cots. How on earth would we live with the sheer terror of the brutality on women—women who we know or knew or loved, naked, abused and openly paraded through our streets? How would we feel? I grieve for those who used their bodies to cover their children as the jihadists cheered and jeered and took hostage the elderly and kidnapped and abducted babies and children—the sheer heartache of that. I will never forget the father crying in relief because his daughter was found dead and was not being held hostage and subjected to the most vile and unimaginable torture and abuse at the hands of Hamas.

If this were to happen in Australia, Australians would not only be outraged; they would demand that the government respond with whatever force necessary to rescue our people and respond to any and every ongoing threat. Knowing what the expectations of Australians would rightly be, I've always been proud to be an Australian. But, for the first time, I was profoundly ashamed and angry when I saw the lack of response to the rally held at the Sydney Opera House as it happened. It's something that I never thought I'd see or that I thought would be condoned in Australia. We saw the pain and suffering of the Jewish Australians compounded by a lack of action and profoundly disgusting comments coming from the group saying, 'Gas the Jews,' and much worse.

The fact that the Australian Jewish community could not safely gather to see the Opera House lit up in their country's blue and white as a sign of support and comfort was beyond belief for me as a proud Australian citizen. I never ever thought I would see the day when Jewish people in Sydney would be told that they weren't safe at the Opera House. I was even more outraged to see that the only person who was arrested was a man carrying an Israeli flag. Again, that is totally un-Australian. I want to see those offenders charged. It was an illegal protest, and there was antisemitic hate speech. We've not seen this level of antisemitism in Australia ever before. I understand how vulnerable Jewish people are feeling. Jewish children should feel safe wearing their school uniforms and going to their schools, and Jewish people should feel safe in Australia.

But I have been really concerned, as I heard discussed by the shadow minister Sarah Henderson, about antisemitism in our universities. The fact that two-thirds of Jewish students on Australian university campuses have experienced antisemitism and the lack of action from our academics in this regard, in my view, are reprehensible. At Sydney University, we saw dreadful signs, which the academics and the administration ignored. They took no action. This is not Australia or Australian. I understand there were academics who attended the protests, and I find that appalling as well, given what was said and done at that protest. This is Australia. I hope the perpetrators have been identified, continue to be identified and, if they're on a visa, like the Leader of the Opposition has called for, have their visas cancelled and are deported from our country. The government needs to report these numbers to the parliament so that we all know exactly what action has been taken. These are just some of what has been perpetrated against the Israeli people, deliberate acts of violence in Israel directly intended to inflict maximum harm on innocent civilians by Hamas.

There is global support for Israel, its right to exist and its right to self-defence. The resistance to antisemitism in all its forms is crucial. But I do want to just raise a quiet issue. The House knows the amount of work that I've done in the cyber and online space. I want to encourage every Australian parent to take particularly great care of their children in their online activities, given that there are the most horrendous videos. What's out there to be seen and the impact it has on young minds really concern me. So I'm encouraging every Australian parent to take a particularly careful approach with what your young people are viewing online.

All of this has been appalling, both for Israelis and now for Palestinians. In Australia, we have been and are one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world, which is why what happened at the Opera House was so appalling and so confronting for us. This has been achieved through hard work over many decades, with broad political support and genuine goodwill and efforts from so many Australians. We see the welcoming of each new group of migrants who come to this country and the broad community celebrations at each citizenship ceremony. I'm sure every member of parliament has that same experience. There are Australians, new Australians, supporters—everyone is so happy and so delighted to be part of our country and chooses to become an Australian citizen. I want them to be able to live and be safe in and enjoy our country in the way that we always have so we don't need to see any of this divide us.

We saw the evil extended to the people in Israel at the hands of Hamas, and, from what the Palestinians are now facing as well, we do know that Hamas is using Palestinian people as human shields. There is no value on those civilian lives. (Time expired)

Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the bipartisan motion that's before us, and I thank the Prime Minister for putting this forward. I need to be on the record for my strong condemnation of the Hamas attacks on Israel. They are absolutely disgraceful. Let's face it: Hamas is a terrorist organisation. I'm sure that there are a lot of Palestinians who are equally very devastated by what Hamas has done. I'm sure that a lot of the Palestinians are, just like us, going about their business, raising their families and trying to do the best they can. But Hamas is a terrorist organisation which is doing these abhorrent things.

There are the reports and stories of what we've seen—the footage that we've seen—with men, women, children and babies murdered. Their throats were cut or they were burned. Women were raped and paraded through the streets. These are absolute acts of brutality and nothing short of a disgrace. We are in 2023! This sort of stuff went on in the medieval days and here we are with it going on again. There are over 1,400 dead and counting. There have been more losses by the Jews than we have seen since the Holocaust—absolutely disgraceful! These were unprovoked attacks, and it's going on and on.

We might think that, yes, this is a world away; it's on the other side of the world. But it's affecting Australia. It's affecting my electorate of Dawson and its affecting Mackay. A young lady, Chantelle Matthews, a Mackay resident, was over there doing a Bible tour in Israel. She had been to Greece and to Macedonia, and she was going through Israel. She wanted to go to Jerusalem to walk in the steps of Jesus. And then the conflict broke out. Chantelle Matthews ended up in a bunker with little food, little water and no toilet facilities for days and days. We found out about this and my office contacted her mum, Lil Matthews, who has been a tower of strength through this whole ordeal. I actually made contact with Chantelle through WhatsApp. It was intermittent, because they kept turning the communications on and off because of what was happening with the military conflicts over there. My office and I contacted DFAT, the emergency consulate and Minister Penny Wong. I want to put on the record that all three worked very well and we actually got Chantelle out. Chantelle is now in Dubai, where she is resting. She's a bit scarred and emotionally drained by this experience. But it's very important that people know that when we do have something go wrong with our Australian people we definitely do everything we possibly can to get them out and to look after them.

From the bunker, Chantelle had to make a trek for about an hour across to Tel Aviv. That was a bit dicey; they weren't quite sure how that was going to go because there was conflict happening. She could hear the bombs and the missiles going overhead. Of course, it was a very fluid situation so they couldn't take her out straightaway; they weren't quite sure of control of the air space. There would have been nothing worse than having a Qantas flight with our people on it hit by a missile. A big thank you to Qantas, actually, for making the effort to get our people out of there. So Chantelle is in Dubai and heading home. Hopefully, that story is going to end well, but the story is not going well in Israel at this present point in time and I think it's only going to get worse.

While we were doing this we had the events at the Sydney Opera House. While we were trying to get one of our own home we saw those disgraceful acts. The Opera House was coloured to show some support for our Israeli friends and then we had the group—I call them terrorists—of very, very ordinary people who were protesting and burning flags, saying, 'Gas the Jews!' and expletives about them. It was absolutely disgraceful. I'm a man who is for free speech. I think you should be able to say what you want to say. If you want to protest, get a permit and be lawful and do what you're going to do. But I've got a tip for you. You're not going to get too much support from people in Australia by acting like this. If you want to get people in Australia on side, you need to put some very good points forward and convince the people of that. There is no room in our country for burning flags, for inciting violence and for doing the wrong thing. We need to respect each other.

I've travelled all over Israel. Israel is a beautiful country. It's got beautiful people. I've done the Holy Land tour. I tell you what, when I was there, it was really peaceful. I would not want to be there at this point in time.

Folks, this leads me to another thing. The Prime Minister moved this motion in good faith. It was accepted by the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, and enjoyed some respect on both sides. However, it beggars belief to me that some of the Greens and some of the teals could vote against this. I'm very interested to listen to the contributions they have and to ask why, because this was a motion for us to show Israel that we support them. It was also a motion to show all the world that Australians do not put up with brutality and barbarity. We are a peaceful, loving nation and we will support each other.

What I'm calling for is peace. I fully understand that Israelis have the right to defend themselves, and we need to track down Hamas, the terrorists, and make sure that they are punished. But we really need to find a peaceful solution and a resolution so we never have to go through this again. I feel that there are going to be some more issues in front of us, but we really need to come up with a peaceful resolution, and that's what I hope and pray for.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The day of 7 October 2023 will be forever remembered as one of the darkest days in Jewish and Israeli history. Not since the Holocaust have so many Jewish lives been lost in one single day, with the Israeli death toll from the attack now above 1,400 people.

The shocking nature of this attack cannot be overstated or ignored. Hamas terrorists crossed the border into Israel and indiscriminately targeted civilians, not military targets. Entire families were executed as hit squads went door to door, killing everyone inside, from infants to the elderly. At the Nova music festival, 260 people were slain. These were young Israelis trying to enjoy their youth. They were simply at a music festival, just enjoying themselves, but they were murdered for the 'crime' of being Israeli and Jewish. Along with the many slain, raped and injured, hundreds of Israeli citizens were taken hostage and forced into the Gaza Strip. These are blatant terrorist acts and war crimes. Such crimes cannot be defended or explained away. The comparisons to ISIS by members across the chamber and by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are completely fair and self-evident. Like ISIS, Hamas has entertained the idea of executing these hostages on camera.

I acknowledge that now is a very difficult time for the Australian Jewish community, many of whom have links to those who have been targeted in Israel. This pain has only been exacerbated by the shameful events that occurred on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, where we heard chants of 'gas the Jews'. To think that, in Australia, in the year of 2023, we have people calling for another Holocaust is simply unfathomable.

I endorse the Leader of the Opposition's call for the visas of noncitizens who engaged in such hateful rhetoric to be cancelled and for those noncitizens to be deported. There is no place in Australia for terrorist apologists or antisemitism. I also acknowledge the government's actions to help those Australians in Israel. My office was contacted by a group from Geraldton who were visiting Israel at the time, who were looking for a way home. I'm very pleased to have offered my assistance, and I'm grateful that they're among the many Australians who have now been able to arrive home safely. But theirs was an incredibly frightening situation. They experienced cancelled flights, great uncertainty about their own safety and sleepless nights before they eventually flew home to their loved ones in Western Australia.

My thoughts also go out to the many innocent Palestinian civilians across the Gaza Strip and to their Australian families and friends. Thousands of Palestinians have died, including many children, since the attack. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people and certainly does not have their best interests in mind. Palestinians' hopes for their own state have only been delayed by the violent and hateful actions of Hamas. Hamas must have known that unleashing such terror on Israeli citizens would result in a significant and necessary retaliation. I urge the protection of civilians to be considered in every action, acknowledging that while Hamas targets Israeli citizens they are also using innocent Palestinian civilians as human shields.

On Monday I was proud to stand with members across this House in supporting the Prime Minister's motion that condemned these horrific actions, recognised Israel's right to self-defence and called out both antisemitism and Islamophobia. The motion received widespread support, as it should have, except from the Greens political party. Honestly, how could the Greens, the party of microaggressions and hypersensitivity, the party who preaches to be the ultimate supporter of women's and gay rights, have failed to recognise what Hamas is?

In the aftermath of the unprovoked attack, I'm pleased that Parliament House, along with the Opera House, was lit up in the colours of Israel as a mark of solidarity. Unbelievably, the response by Greens senator Faruqi, labelling this act as one colonial government supporting another, needs to be condemned. The Greens should be ashamed of themselves.

There is no moral equivalency between Hamas and Israel. Hamas are committed to the complete destruction of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people. Hamas has proven that it is an existential threat to Israel. Not only does Israel have a right to self-defence; it has an obligation to the living, to the fallen and to its own people who are still being held hostage. They have an obligation to root out the evil perpetrators that are Hamas.

I understand that the situation is evolving and that action from Hezbollah and Iran is currently being contemplated. Such involvement could turn the conflict in the Gaza Strip into a war that covers much of the Middle East. Israel's right to self-defence will extend to any escalation that is brought on by these other agents of terror. However, I sincerely hope that cooler heads prevail and that such a catastrophic sequence of events is avoided. I'm sure everyone in the House feels the same way.

Israel is the world's only Jewish state and is the home of a strong and resilient people who have consistently suffered the most callous and savage attacks throughout history, from exile to the Holocaust and now Hamas terrorism. This is a pivotal moment for the world, and it is important that we let the world know exactly where Australia stands. We stand with Israel. We stand with its people.

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the people of Barker I want to take this opportunity to express our collective support for the people of Israel, the Israelis, and the state of Israel. In so doing I lend my support and that of my constituents to this motion condemning the activity of Hamas.

This can be described no other way than as an egregious act of terror. The images that have been seen don't bear discussion. Indeed, in many cases, people have found them impossible to view. I'm one of those individuals. I can't bring myself to even look at these images. In one sense, the horror is unspeakable. These are the actions of terrorists; these are not the actions of a nation state. We send our support and also our love, prayers and concern to Israelis all over the world and to the state of Israel.

There are some comments that I'd like to make that are broader than that. I might not have been able to view the images, but I certainly viewed behaviour inside this nation, which I found disgusting and deplorable—people celebrating the actions of terrorists, people chanting words like 'from the river to the sea' and, of course, as the Leader of the Opposition made plain in this place, a phrase which I didn't think anyone living in this free and fair country would ever utter but bears repeating because it's important that we understand: 'Gas the Jews.' I'm disgusted as an Australian citizen. I am disgusted as a member of parliament. But those are the facts, and we need to face up to them.

I'm similarly disappointed by those in the civic square who have embarked upon an exercise in equivalence. There can be no equivalence here. Hamas have deliberately targeted civilians. In response, the IDF is doing everything it can to avoid civilian casualties. These were the actions of terrorists, and so it is right that it is being described around the world—by the Israeli president himself, by other world leaders and also in this country—as Israel's September 11. That's exactly what we're dealing with here. These false equivalences, with respect, are incredibly dangerous. Some have sought to justify these behaviours. There can be no justification for these acts of extreme violence, of terror. These acts were perpetrated to not only send messages but send terror through that country and through other nations. To hear that young people in this country and families fear young people wearing Jewish school uniforms really does shake me to my core beliefs. But that's where we're at right now.

Like others in this place, I've had the great privilege of visiting Israel. I do a lot of travel in my electorate, so I'm not the first one to line up for overseas trips. I've only ever been away twice in the ten years that I've served in this place—once with the support of the Australia-Israel Jewish alliance and, not that it's important, a separate trip to support our timber exports to Japan. But it's telling that, like others in this place, I visited Sderot, which is in close proximity to Gaza. We visited the police station that was attacked. We visited a playground where I thought concrete pipes were strangely arranged in the distance, only to be told that that's where young children are taught to hide in the event of a missile attack. I saw these improvised missiles that had been recovered and placed into storage. These missiles are barbaric in nature; the activities are barbaric in nature. But having been there, having spoken to people who, right now, find themselves on the front line—it's very difficult.

To the Israeli ambassador, who is a friend of this place on both sides of the aisle—I want to tell him that my electorate and the broader South Australian community are in complete support of the efforts. This isn't a war that Israel wanted, as he made clear to us in the party room, but it's one they're intent on winning. I send them all the strength I can. This is a very dark period.

To reinforce how surprised I was—and I think the rest of the world was—my sister was scheduled to travel to Israel in about three weeks on a religious pilgrimage. She asked me about three months ago whether I thought it was safe. I said, 'Angela, the mood in Israel can be febrile, but my assessment at this stage is that it's as good as it's been for a while.' Obviously that trip is cancelled. But to think that we have gone from what we thought was a process that would get us lasting peace to Israel's version of 9/11 so quickly reminds me that I never thought we would see war in Europe again either. Yet we have seen that in Russia's illegal, immoral war in Ukraine.

It should remind all of us that we need to remain vigilant. While some like to suggest that members of parliament can sometimes be war hungry and warmongers in our attempts to fund our defence forces, it's just a reminder that we need to stay ever vigilant because what we thought, or at least what I thought, could never be again—war in Europe—is now a reality in Ukraine. What I thought was, let's say in relative terms, a settled environment or a calmer environment, on balance, in Israel, has now turned into these grotesque acts of terror. In what we might think is a relatively stable region—our own—it reminds us why we need to be ever vigilant.

In the time I have remaining, I extend, one last time on behalf of the people of Barker, my strongest support, prayers and concerns to the people of Israel and the State of Israel. I hope all will be well. We'll need to be patient, as the ambassador asked us to be in the party room, but let's hope this war can be won and let's hope the world can be rid of Hamas and its terror.

Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think we've all been watching the news over these past two weeks in utter horror at what has been happening in Israel and Palestine. The Greens and I condemn the horrific attacks against civilians perpetrated by both Hamas and the Israeli military. There is no justification for this kind of violence. There is also no justification, as many other speakers have said, for antisemitism or Islamophobia here in Australia. We all deserve to feel safe in our own communities.

Over 1,000 Israelis and over 3,000 Palestinians have been killed in this conflict so far. I won't pretend it's easy, but we must talk openly and honestly about what it will take to end this cycle of violence and ensure lasting peace for millions of Israelis and Palestinians. There must be an urgent ceasefire and end to the invasion of Gaza, there must be an end to the blockade of Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian territories and there must be an internationally coordinated reconstruction program to ensure infrastructure and community can be re-established in the Gaza Strip so all are able to live good, flourishing lives.

Let's lay out the facts about what life is actually like for ordinary Palestinians in Gaza. Gaza has been described by many as an 'open-air prison'. Movements in and out are controlled under a strict permit system operated by the Israeli government. Ninety-seven per cent of the water in Gaza is undrinkable. The import of basic necessities like food and medicine is strictly controlled by the Israelis. They can cut off food, water and medical supplies at any time and, indeed, have done so at time of speaking. Electricity in Gaza is also extremely limited. That is something that's essential for the running of hospitals and other public services. I think we'd all agree that people need hospitals. Eighty-two per cent of Gazans are unable to refrigerate food. The skies above Gaza constantly hum with the buzz of Israeli surveillance drones like something out of a dystopian novel. It's estimated that 50 per cent of the Gazan population are children. That means the majority would not have known life before the blockade.

In 2018 and 2019, Palestinians peacefully marched on the border checkpoints, calling for peace. It's estimated that around 200 were killed and thousands injured after being shot by the Israeli military. In one particularly harrowing incident, a young medic in a white coat was fatally shot while trying to tend the wounded, reportedly with her hands raised. We need to be clear about this: These brutal conditions—and they are not compatible with peace—amount to collective punishment for a crime that most Palestinians did not commit.

Since the utterly horrific attack by Hamas on 7 October—and the Hamas attack was horrific and should be roundly condemned, and we condemn it—Israel has used this attack to justify unprecedented violence against civilians in Gaza. There is no justification for these actions and there is no justification for countries like Australia and for the Labor government to be supporting these actions, which can be described as war crimes and breaches of international law. The Israeli defence minister has referred to Palestinians as 'human animals' and said that Israel will 'act accordingly', and Netanyahu has said, 'This is only the beginning.' In that context, saying that we stand with Israel and not condemning this incredibly dangerous language used in the run-up to the worst crimes against humanity in history is criminal. We cannot stand by while thousands have died and potentially millions are to be displaced.

Just this morning we learned of the bombing of a major hospital in Gaza city, killing 500. It has been reported in the past week that the Israeli military have used white phosphorus and bombed civilian escape routes. They have also cut off supplies of food, water, medicines and electricity. Gazans injured in the conflict essentially have no hope of proper medical treatment—that's a war crime—leaving many to die of their injuries, and that is really the crux of it. That is the effect of the blockade: to rob Gazans of the hope for a better future, to rob a lot of them of hope for any future. They have no hope of a good life for themselves or for their children. There will be no peace until hope is restored to the Palestinian people and they are allowed freedom and self-determination.

Australia must join calls for a ceasefire and put a stop to the Gaza invasion, an end to the long-term Gaza blockade and illegal settlements in the West Bank. Labor needs to stop running cover for the IDF and not just condemn, as we do, the terrible Hamas attack but also the war crimes and the breaches of international law by the Israeli military.

Bob Katter (Kennedy, Katter's Australian Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my misfortune to be born when I was born, because I ended up wearing a uniform for half of my life. Thank goodness, the war blew over in Indonesia before my battalion was up there.

But if you start a war then you take the blame for what happens afterwards. I have never heard anything as disgusting and terrible as I have just heard here, after 50 years in parliament! These people crossed the border and murdered babies—they cut their throats and put it on film. They raped little, young women and put it on film, advertising it to the world. They invaded somebody else's country and started killing people. When you do that, you sow the wind and so you will reap the whirlwind. I am just absolutely disgusted that I'm in a parliament with people who would come and justify, protect and advocate for them!

I don't hesitate to remind people that six million of these poor people were murdered in Europe, and not a single country on the earth would take the 'Ship of Shame'. There were 250,000 refugees, and Australia knocked them back, America knocked them back, Brazil knocked them back and France knocked them back. No-one would take them; they were just left there to be murdered in the ghettos. Who can blame these people for taking a slice of someone's land somewhere for themselves? Who could blame them for doing that? Tell me what you would have done if you were a Jew being persecuted like that? You tell me what you would have done. There is no doubt in my mind where I would have been.

These people are saying, 'Oh, the land was taken off us.' I have some forebears who were Celts. The Romans came and took the land off them. Then, when the Romans left, the Angles came and took the land off them. And when the Angles left, or settled down, the Saxons came and took the land off them. And when they left, the Norman-French came in and took the land off them. If you're complaining about someone taking the land off you then find a country on earth that wasn't taken off somebody somewhere.

In these countries there is just continuous warfare. There's something terrible about these countries in the Middle East. That's because there's just continuous warfare going on forever. I don't know that it's a good idea to read history books, but the southern half of Europe was under the Ottomans. They took 50,000 slaves a year and the young men were sent as janissaries. They were taken from their parents under the age of 12 and turned into what we would today call suicide bombers. They were the janissaries and they led the warfare conducted by the Ottomans through Portugal, Spain, all of Northern Africa and southern Europe. The southern half of Italy was under the Ottomans and this continued for century after century. They attacked the capital of Europe, Vienna, putting it under siege in the 1700s. That's not ancient history here, it's relatively localised history.

Once that was over they then started doing it to each other. There's a continuous pattern of behaviour here, and you can't just ignore history or turn a blind eye to what's going on. But that's what we've heard from people in the parliament of Australia, a place I would like to think advocates for freedom, rights, liberties and those wonderful words that start the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man: 'All men are born free and equal, and their creator endows them with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' Would there be a single country in the Middle East that would subscribe to those principles? We put on our flag a Christian cross, a bloke who died nailed to a cross. That's who we put on our flag.

Debate interrupted.