Australian news and politics live: Tony Burke calls Australia's Gaza condemnation the strongest statement yet

West Australian

21-07-2025

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Australia's latest joint statement with 24 other nations calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza represents 'the strongest so far,' according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
Mr Burke said this statement is just the latest in a 'series of very strong statements' the government has issued on the crisis.
The statement, signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and counterparts from countries including the UK and New Zealand, condemns Israel for depriving Palestinians of 'human dignity.' Mr Burke reiterated that Australia has called for a ceasefire since 2023, following the outbreak of the conflict.
'There's been a series of very strong statements that we've made… When you can make a statement together with so many other significant powers, then, you know, we're all hoping that there'll be something that will break this,' Mr Burke told ABC News Breakfast.
He continued, 'We've seen too many images of children being killed, of horrific slaughter, of churches being bombed, the images that we've seen have been pretty clear that so much of this is indefensible and as that statement referred to, you know, aid being drip-fed in. None of this changes the fact that the hostages need to be released, of course that needs to happen.'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Sussan Ley has arrived at a church service in Canberra in a tradition to start the new Parliamentary term.
The service is a chance for both sides of politics to come together before the 48th Parliament sits on Tuesday.
Accompanied by fiancée Jodie Haydon, the PM smiled when asked whether he was excited for day one of the new parliament: 'Indeed, it will be a good day'.
In a sign of solidarity, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Liberal Angus Taylor walked in side-by-side.
Among attendees was Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Nationals leader David Littleproud and his colleague Michael McCormack.
Australia has joined the United Kingdom, France, and more than 20 other countries in demanding an immediate end to the war in Gaza and for Israel to lift all restrictions on aid.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong signed the joined statement on Australia's behalf, with the signatories condemning the mounting toll on civilians and highlighting that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access food and water.
'The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,' the statement declared.
The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites, which the United States and Israel backed to take over aid distribution in the Gaza Strip from a network led by the United Nations.
'We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic need of water and food,' the statement continued.
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offered clarity on possible superannuation tax changes, attempting to reassure most Australians:
'This is not for ordinary superannuation accounts. Superannuation is there for people's retirement. There is proposal already in the budget but hasn't been legislated yet, which is to deal with people where they will still get tax concessions… but it is where your superannuation balance is more than $3 million,' he told Sunrise on Tuesday morning.
'I reckon there is not a lot of viewers at home watching this morning who are saying more than $3 million is their super balance.'
Mr Burke also addressed broader challenges: 'When we first came to office three years ago now, we were left with a trillion dollars of Liberal debt when you looked across the forward estimates, and what was projected. So, we have needed to get debt down. We had two surplus budgets, the first surplus budgets in political terms in a generation.'