Partisanship dominates as federal parliament fights over Middle East war
- Written by: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Federal parliament has split on partisan lines over the Middle East crisis, just a day after the anniversary of the Hamas atrocities against Israelis.
After discussions between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton failed to reach agreement, the government’s wide-ranging motion passed the House of Representatives with the Coalition voting against it.
The Greens abstained from voting. Almost all the crossbench voted with the government, although “teal” MP Allegra Spender said “I wish that we as a parliament could come together and lead unitedly”.
The division between Labor and Coalition over the escalating war has increasingly widened over recent months, with Dutton giving unqualified backing to Israel’s strategy and using the issue to paint the prime minister as a “weak” leader.
The government, while backing Israel’s right to defend itself, has had a more qualified position, including supporting calls for a ceasefire.
The long motion reiterated “unequivocal condemnation” of the Hamas’ terror attacks, and called for the immediate release of the remaining hostages.
It condemned antisemitism “in all its forms and stands with Jewish Australians who have felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day”.
It also recognised the number of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza, and supported international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza and Lebanon.
It condemned Iran’s attacks on Israel and recognised Israel’s right to defend itself.
Backing international efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon, the motion reaffirmed “support for a two-state solution, a Palestinian State alongside Israel, so that Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders, as the only option to ensuring a just and enduring peace”.
As well, the motion recognised the deep distress the Middle East situation was causing many in Australia.
Albanese told parliament the government would continue to call for de-escalating the violence and conflict in the region. “Tragically, we are seeing the situation worsening.”
“Further hostilities put civilians at risk. We cannot accept the callous arithmetic of so-called acceptable casualties.”
Dutton said the motion was supposed to be about what had happened on October 7.
“The prime minister is trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth.”
“There has been a position of bipartisanship on these issues, and your predecessors would have had the decency to respect the Jewish community in a way that you have not done today. And for that, prime minister, you should stand condemned.”
He accused Albanese of rejecting the opposition’s position “for his own political domestic advancement”.
A later attempt by Dutton to move his alternative motion was shut down by the government.
In the Senate Greens senators held up placards with the words “SANCTIONS NOW”. Some Greens wore keffiyehs.
Crossbencher Lidia Thorpe accused Foreign Minister Penny Wong of being “complicit in genocide”.
Authors: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
