Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I move the amendment as circulated in the chamber:

At the end of the motion add, "as part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution and a just and enduring peace".

The Australian government is working with the international community to create momentum for a lasting peace in the form of a two-state solution: a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel. We know that it is the only way to break the cycle of violence. The momentum is what we saw in the recent vote in the United Nations General Assembly where 143 countries including Australia expressed our aspiration for Palestinian membership of the United Nations. Australia and a number of other countries including Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada have shifted our position so that recognition of a Palestinian state is no longer seen as being at the end of negotiations.

Australia is firmly part of the international effort to see recognition of a state of Palestine as a part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution and a just and enduring peace. It is widely recognised that major security and governance reforms are needed. At the foreign minister's direction, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is examining ways Australia can support reform of the Palestinian Authority so that it can deliver on the needs of the Palestinian people. The government's amendment to this motion reflects the work Australia is contributing in the international community. Given the distressing impact of the conflict in the Middle East and here at home, it is the government's hope that senators will send a clear statement of support to international efforts to advance the cause of the two-state solution and a just and enduring peace.