Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion relating to weapons exports and the attendance of a minister, as circulated.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to the attendance of a minister.

In recent weeks we found out just how far this government is willing to go to avoid scrutiny and accountability and to keep the public in the dark about dodgy government actions. This is a government that works hard to hide its cruelty, to keep its violence out of sight and out of mind and to keep the truth hidden.

There is no better example of this than when it comes to questions about their complicity in the genocide in Gaza. Minister Wong and Prime Minister Albanese have continuously dodged questions about their government's ties with weapons companies that are fuelling Israel's genocide, and the hundreds of millions of dollars of public funds going to these companies. We know there are a number of ways that weapons make their way from this country to fuel genocidal massacres around the globe, including Israel's bombardment of Gaza. The weapons usually do not come directly from the Department of Defence. The global military industrial complex is much more sinister than that. Labor uses this complexity to dodge questions about all the ways that weapons produced in this country make their way to Gaza. The constant misrepresentation and intentional avoidance of questions is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and avoid scrutiny. It's behaviour that constitutes contempt of the Senate.

I want to thank Senator Shoebridge's office for their work in scrutinising the government and revealing figures that confirm that, in February 2024 alone, Australia directly exported over $1.5 million dollars in arms and ammunition to Israel and that the entire value of direct arms and munitions exports to Israel since the Albanese government came to power is collectively over $3.25 million. Shame on you, Labor! Shame! You are complicit in genocide!