David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For tawdry domestic political reasons, the government has trashed two decades of bipartisanship on policy towards the recognition of a Palestinian state. This is shameful. For more than 20 years, Australia has held the bipartisan position that recognition of a Palestinian state can only come as a consequence of negotiations to resolve the many complex issues involved—issues such as borders, rights of return and security guarantees. We have stood side by side with the United States on this issue across coalition and Labor governments and Democrat and Republican administrations, and we've done that because it is plainly the right thing to do. The United States maintained that longstanding position under former president Biden. But Labor has walked away from that and now says that recognition of a Palestinian state can come before any of the many unresolved issues are addressed. Why? It's simple. It's because Minister Wong is worried about the Labor vote against the Greens in electorates like Wills, Griffith and Brisbane. This isn't about human rights, diplomacy or high principles of international relations; it is about a sordid attempt to grab votes in a few key seats. That tells you everything you need to know about the Albanese government.