Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians have been lucky to hear from and meet with Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who is not afraid to speak the truth about the occupation of Palestine, about the massacre in Gaza and about the reality of apartheid. She has rightfully said that some Western states are paralysed in their response, with states like Australia muttering inaudible words of condemnation or staying silent in fear of restraining Israel's self-proclaimed right to self-defence, whatever it means. One would have thought that our foreign minister would carve out time to meet with someone as knowledgeable as Francesca Albanese, but perhaps Minister Wong is too afraid to hear the truth about the ongoing massacre in Gaza. The Labor government can look away, but we will not stop talking about Palestine. I see no point in being in parliament if we remain silent at times of such grave injustice.

Calls for a ceasefire are becoming stronger and louder every single day. Yesterday the Greens tabled a petition in parliament signed by over 100,000 Australians, including healthcare workers, urging the Labor government to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Lawyers, doctors, artists and writers have signed open letters urging the government to do the same. Tens of thousands of people are marching on the streets, week after week, demanding that the Prime Minister and the foreign minister call for a ceasefire now. Over 11,000 people have been massacred in Gaza. Over 4,000 are children. How many more will be killed before our government calls for an end to these atrocities and the ongoing persecution of Palestinians? We will not stop talking about Palestine. We will keep marching. We will keep protesting until there is a ceasefire and justice for Palestinians—

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator David Pocock?