Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The coalition will be opposing clause (m), and we will be opposing it, noting that the amendment we proposed was defeated on the opposition of the government. By opposing our amendment, which would have changed the 'support for a two-state solution' to being 'support for a negotiated two-state solution', the government critically tore up decades of bipartisan support. Senator Wong is being entirely misleading when she says that, in the position the coalition is taking, we are opposing longstanding bipartisanship. It is in fact the Albanese government that has reversed the position of longstanding bipartisanship, has walked away from the commitment to a negotiated two-state solution, where difficult questions and issues, such as security guarantees between the two parties, agreed borders and rights of return, would be settled to achieve a lasting and secure two-state solution. It is indeed the government that has rejected longstanding bipartisanship, that has changed position on these matters, and we will not, in a Senate resolution, be railroaded into supporting the government's revised form of wording. That is why we proposed an amendment consistent with the longstanding bipartisan position and, given the government chose to reject that longstanding bipartisan position, we cannot support this clause of the resolution.