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

Today this parliament will finally acknowledge just some of the horrors of the situation the people in Gaza have faced now for more than 18 months. I'd take a moment to pause and reflect on this being an occasion where we pass a motion that does not erase the people of Palestine and the struggle for a free Palestine, as this chamber did barely 18 months ago, because now we are acknowledging, as a collective, the appalling breaches of international law by the Israeli government, including the use of mass starvation as a tool of war against children, women, civilians and the people of Gaza.

But this motion should, obviously, be the starting point for genuine action, and it is unfortunate that, on the same day that we pass this motion, the Prime Minister dismissed calls for sanctions and material action to stop the genocide in Gaza as 'slogans', to use his word. That is deeply insulting to the millions of Australians calling for the Prime Minister to move from mere words to clear action, to pressure Israel to end the bombing and the killing of Palestinians, and to let food and aid flow into Gaza. The statement signed by Australia on 21 July of this year said:

We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire …

Yet that statement was rejected by Israel in less than 24 hours, and the government has taken no such action. As the Prime Minister himself acknowledged today, empty slogans without action will not feed starving children in Gaza.

I encourage the Prime Minister to reach out to the Australian Sanctions Office to understand how Australia is implementing its comprehensive prohibition on the two-way arms trade with Russia, as the clearest example for Israel, to end that two-way arms trade. That action, together with sanctions, is the action needed to meet this moment.