Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For 11 months the world has stood witness to the awful violence and suffering that has occurred and is occurring in Israel and in Gaza. This horrifying and brutal instalment of a long-running conflict began with a barbaric attack by Hamas on civilians in Israel, which included the taking of hostages, many of whom are still not free. Since that time, the government of Israel has inflicted carnage on a trapped and defenceless civilian population in Gaza. More than 40,000 civilians have died, the majority of whom are women and children. Indeed, more children have been killed in Gaza than in all other conflicts for the last four years. Russia's illegal aggression in Ukraine over the last 2½ years has resulted in the death of 11½ thousand civilians, including 630 children, from a population of 38 million. In Gaza, in less than a year, from a population of only two million, 40,000 civilians have died and more than 14,000 children have been killed. That is simply outrageous, and it is completely unacceptable.

In those circumstances, it's important that people know the Australian government has been resolute in its efforts to influence an end to the violence by continuing to speak, act, vote, apply sanction measures and join with like-minded nations in pushing for a ceasefire at every opportunity. Alongside that persistent effort, the Australian government has contributed more than $70 million in humanitarian funding. But I completely understand that, as people see the bombing and suffering continue, their message to me and to all of us here is that that's not enough. I accept that message because, until the violence stops, all of us should be prepared to consider what more can be done to achieve a ceasefire.

I want to pay tribute to everyone who is part of activism in the cause of peace and nonviolence. I'm grateful for the heartfelt commitment of the many groups and many more individuals who've reached out to me as part of that effort—the Perth Mums for Palestine, the Fremantle Palestine Group, Jews for Palestine, Doctors for Palestine, and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, and more than 1,000 individuals. Activism in the cause of peace is vital, and it has long been a part of my life and has long been a focus for my community. Activism, as part of civil society engagement, is an expression of our values as a democratic society. We must remember that, by its nature, activism will not be neat and tidy. Indeed, often it will be robust and noisy and provocative. You can't be an activist in the cause of peace and nonviolence if your activism isn't undertaken in accordance with those values. All the groups I've mentioned have engaged with me wholeheartedly and stridently in pain and distress and frustration—which is completely understandable—but always peacefully and always with respect and in good faith. I honour that. Their input will always shape my work in this place.