David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

We are all in parliament to use the collective power the public entrusts in us to create a better world. When we fail to use that power or we use it contrary to the public interest, we betray that trust.

The world's been watching in horror as the unfolding genocide in Gaza continues. As we speak here, there are thousands of children trapped under rubble and 10 children a day are becoming amputees in Gaza. In the face of this horror, the Albanese Labor government has not just remained silent; it has tried to silence others. With all the power and influence of government, Labor has decided to weld it not in favour of peace, international law or human rights but to demonise protesters and suppress calls for ending the two-way arms trade with the State of Israel.

This has seen the extraordinary statement from Foreign Minister Wong that Australia only exports non-lethal parts for fighter jets Israel uses in the bombing. The mechanism that allows the fighter jet to drop its bombs? Non-lethal, apparently. The weapons adapters made in Queensland? Non-lethal. The joint strike missile integration, headed up by BAE Australia? Apparently non-lethal. Only a few days ago, the UN called on companies like BAA and Lockheed Martin and the governments that support them to stop providing weapons to Israel. This is the same Lockheed Martin, of course, that has said that every F-35 fighter jet built contains some Australian parts and components. It is the same BAE that the Albanese government was applauding and shaking hands with only last week.

This government has pumped millions of dollars of public funds into companies profiting off the genocide in Gaza. You cannot plead ignorance. The Albanese Labor government is complicit. There's a choice here about how to exercise the power of government, and it's a choice that this government has failed. It is this government that's fuelling conflict. It is this government that's stifling change and ignoring calls from the public. It's this government that's attacking social cohesion. (Time expired)