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

FARUQI () (): My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Minister, for almost nine long months now we have witnessed Israel's full-blown genocide in Gaza, during which Israel has ruthlessly massacred close to 40,000 Palestinians, including around 15,000 Palestinian children. Israel has relentlessly bombed schools, hospitals, ambulances, universities, places of worship and even the tents where forcibly displaced Palestinians are taking refuge. Many thousands of Palestinians are missing or buried under the rubble. This year alone your government has imposed autonomous sanctions on Russia, Iran and Myanmar, and yesterday the Labor leadership shamefully sanctioned Senator Payman. When will you sanction Israel and the extreme Netanyahu government?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

First, I want to make some comments about collective decision-making, which goes to the last part of your question. We believe collective decision-making is about a group being more powerful than any one individual. That truth is demonstrated in the history of this nation. Our party in government is the only party that has delivered real progress in Australia on Medicare, the minimum wage and fairness at work, social welfare for older Australians and people with disabilities, paid parental leave, superannuation, the Sex Discrimination Act, the Racial Discrimination Act, the abolition of the White Australia policy, Mabo land rights and the removal of discrimination against LGBTI Australians, and there is so much more. My point is that collective action and decision-making is central to that.

We believe that Labor governments are the ones able to deliver change. This is why no Australian government has ever expressed such strong support for Palestinian statehood as this one. No Australian government has ever done so. It's a position that has faced criticism from those opposite and those who want to support the status quo, but it's a position which reflects the approach that so many in the international community are taking. We also believe that we are not served well as a country by those who seek to bring the conflict here. Nothing you do in this chamber will resolve the conflict, but it does bring the division here. That is the reality, Senator. In relation to the actions taken, I'm happy, in my supplementary, to go through the actions we have taken since October 2023.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, first supplementary?

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

Minister, your government has not taken any concrete action to stop Israel's genocide in Gaza, and turning against the people who are standing up for Palestine is not going to do anything either. You failed to join South Africa's ICJ case. You failed to sanction Israel or expel the Israeli ambassador. The only concrete action you have taken is against those supporting Palestine. How many more Palestinians will be killed before you take concrete action?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'm waiting for order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand why you want to run a political line here in this chamber. I do.

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

I have called for order. That includes every single senator in this place—Senator Shoebridge and others.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, on this side of the chamber, we have adopted the strongest support for Palestinian statehood in Australia's history.

An honourable senator interjecting—

Yes, we have. The difference between our party, the Greens and those opposite is that, unlike those opposite, we don't try to wake up every morning figuring out how to stand in the way of change, and, unlike the Greens, we don't think that asserting moral superiority and condemning others delivers anything other than self-satisfaction. That's our view. The reality is that this is a catastrophic conflict. You have seen us diplomatically make a range of decisions, including voting for— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, second supplementary?

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

Minister, the difference between your party and mine is that we have the moral courage, and you are cowards. You moved a motion at the Labor Party platform conference in 2021 calling for the Labor government to recognise Palestine, but disgracefully your government has voted against it twice already. Now you're punishing the only Labor member who has had the courage to vote for recognising Palestine. How long must we wait before you join the 147 other countries and recognise Palestine? (Time expired)

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

At the end of my last answer, I should have said that we voted for a ceasefire, and we voted to admit Palestine as a member of the United Nations. I note what the senator has said. What demonstrates, frankly, the Greens' political agenda is that last week they couldn't bring themselves to support this motion: 'the need for the Senate to recognise the state of Palestine as part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution and a just and enduring peace'. What does it say about how much you are focused on political differentiation that you could not support that? You could not support that because all you, Senator Faruqi, and your colleagues want to do is to politically differentiate on this conflict, which is horrific. It is clear you don't actually want to make progress on the two-state solution. (Time expired)