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

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the government to questions without notice I asked today relating to .

Two years ago, on 1 April, Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom was killed by Israel. She was not caught in a crossfire. She was not lost in the fog of war. It was not a tragic mistake. She and her six colleagues were hunted and murdered. Two years on, there has been no justice. There has been no accountability. The Labor government has failed Zomi and it has failed all the brave Australians who put their lives on the line to provide humanitarian aid in war zones. The government says it has raised concerns, it has made representations, it has pressed for accountability. How? Words without action are meaningless. It has outsourced responsibility to a deeply flawed process, the Binskin review, which failed to secure even the most basic evidence, including the drone strike audio. This was a review that asked the accused murderers to investigate themselves. Israel has lied consistently to justify its genocide of the Palestinian people. Why would we expect them not to lie about the murder of Zomi, one of more than 500 aid workers now killed by Israel in Gaza?

Let's be clear: this government had options. They could have pushed for an independent international investigation or referred the matter to the International Criminal Court or imposed consequences like recalling our ambassador or expelling Israel's. They could have demanded charges. They did none of that. We all know the pattern. When Gaza was systematically starved, Minister Wong 'raised concerns'. When civilians were bombed, Minister Wong 'raised concerns'. When Israel invaded Lebanon, displacing hundreds of thousands, Minister Wong 'raised concerns'. Now, as the war against Iran ricochets out of control, killing thousands and throwing the world economy into crisis, what does the Prime Minister do? He 'raises concerns'. But we all know what those concerns are worth: nothing. They are worth nothing. They disappear into the rubble along with all the bodies.

Meanwhile, aid workers, journalists and healthcare workers, the very people that carry humanity through the darkest moments, have been systematically targeted. Hundreds of aid workers, journalists and health workers have been slaughtered. That is not collateral damage. It is a campaign to extinguish truth and survival itself.

Consider the difference between the concerns expressed by the government and its actions. They roll out the red carpet for those responsible, feting the Israeli president. They ship weapons components that will be used to kill civilians. They sign up to yet another war. They pass laws to criminalise criticism of Israel. They have turned their backs on Zomi, whose life represented the very best of us: courage, compassion and commitment to humanity in the face of unimaginable suffering. And this government has repaid that courage with cowardice. It has failed her family. It has failed every aid worker who put their life on the line. And it has failed the basic test of whether it will stand up for justice when it counts—because justice is not something you quietly raise in meetings or memos. Justice is something you fight for.

But Zomi's memory will not be in vain. Every day, aid workers and humanitarians continue her mission, showing the courage this government could never even dream of. At the moment, 17 brave Australians are preparing to join the next Global Sumud Flotilla to deliver food, medicine and critical supplies to Gaza. While ministers tremble at the thought of being called a 'bad friend' by Israel, ordinary people are putting their bodies on the line for humanity. As long as that courage endures—as long as there are those who refuse to look away, who refuse to be silent—the fight for justice for Zomi and for so many others will never be extinguished.

Question agreed to.