Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to associate myself with the remarks of all my colleagues on this side, particularly the very moving contributions from Senator Chandler, who just spoke, and also Senator McGrath, who spoke earlier and read into the Hansard record the names of those hostages taken and still sadly unaccounted for and whose fate is unknown and whose families must be feeling such ongoing pain as a result of that massive uncertainty and trauma. I know every right-thinking person would feel that same trauma and that same horror at the events that unfolded just over a year ago.

The fact that we came into this place in May of this year and the vast majority of this chamber unequivocally condemned the use of the phrase 'from the river to the sea' is something that it seems we have forgotten very quickly, because we have seen it used today on multiple occasions by an elected member of this place, which I think is a great shame. It's a great shame to this chamber and a great shame to Australia. We have seen it chanted in rallies celebrating the events on that terrible day just over a year ago. But I know that certainly all those on this side of the chamber and my colleagues stand with the vast majority of right-thinking Australians, with the Jewish community of Australia and with Israel. I stand against terrorism in all its forms.