Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

In relation to Senator Xenophon's amendment, I do find it quite objectionable—and I say that to my good friend—that all he is concerned about is the Israeli blockade of the Gazan people and there is no concern about Egypt. That is why the BDS policy that the Greens have been promoting is so wrong: it only seeks to condemn Israel and not Egypt. Why don't we have a BDS policy on Egypt courtesy of the Greens, especially from New South Wales? Why doesn't that concern Senator Xenophon?

The amendment he has moved has unfortunately shown what is actually behind this. Is it that Australia is a good friend of the Palestinian territories and its people? I have no objection to that. But that is not part and parcel of what we are dealing with. We are dealing with the evil of the BDS policy which Senator Bob Brown himself has finally come to reject in the wake of the New South Wales state election where one of the Green candidates clearly did not win a seat against Labor because of that policy. I say to the people of New South Wales, 'Well done!'

In relation to the allocation of preferences that Senator Ludwig raised, I say to Senator Ludwig: in the New South Wales election for that seat, the Liberal Party did not allocate preferences. The Labor Party did and put Fiona Byrne at No. 2 on the how-to-vote card in the state election, so please do not come in here and try to lecture and hector us. I know it is embarrassing for certain elements in this place that the anti-Israel stance being taken by some political parties and groups, such as trade unions, does need to be opposed. (Time expired)