Labor urges Israel to end Gaza war before hostage release
In her strongest language on the conflict and the urgency of achieving Palestinian recognition, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said there would 'be no Palestine left to recognise' should the global community wait much longer to do so.
The comments are part of growing momentum within Labor to recognise Palestine in the near future, with Anthony Albanese revealing on Tuesday he had spoken to the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, overnight and committed to meeting him on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next month.
'Prime Minister Albanese reiterated Australia's call for the immediate entry of aid to meet needs of people of Gaza, a permanent ceasefire, and the release of all hostages,' a readout of the call stated.
'Prime Minister Albanese also reinforced Australia's commitment to a two-state solution because a just and lasting peace depends upon it.'
While Senator Wong has previously listed the return of hostages as being among the most-pressing priorities since the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, the senior Labor senator said Israel needed to end the war before that outcome was achieved, not after.
Senator Wong declared Australians were 'all horrified to watch the depraved spectacle' of Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski 'paraded' around by Hamas, but said the onus lay with Israel now to end the war.
'What I would say is the government's view is the same as the 600 former Israeli security officials, who have written publicly, urging Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to end the war and making the very important point that the end of the war is the only way to save the hostages,' Senator Wong told the ABC.
She added that the Albanese government was clear in its view that it was a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which she said 'was the decision Israel made in March'.
Senator Wong did not rule out further sanctions on Israeli officials, but said her government would 'prefer to move with other (countries)' in taking such action in order for the move to have 'more effect'.
The Foreign Minister's comments add to speculation that Australia will likely recognise Palestine in September, given other countries such as France and Canada have already committed to doing so.
'There is a risk there will be no Palestine left to recognise if the international community don't move to create that pathway to a two-state solution,' Senator Wong said.
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash accused Senator Wong of using 'hyperbole to justify the Albanese government's premature rush to recognise a Palestinian state before there is a pathway for it to be viable'.
'Hyperbole is not foreign policy, and this is not a solution,' Senator Cash said.
'It's reactionary symbolism without substance. That may suit Labor politically but it is a deviation from Australia's longstanding foreign policy of a two-state solution.
'Australian foreign policy should not be being used to advance the domestic political priorities of the Labor Party.'
The comments come amid some disquiet in Coalition ranks over the language used by the opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, with concerns that the messaging was not palatable in some electorates.
Ahead of his call with Mr Abbas this week, Mr Albanese submitted a request to speak directly with Mr Netanyahu.
The request was made before Sunday's court-approved protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge by pro-Palestinian supporters, which forced the closure of Sydney's largest road crossing for about five hours.
Senator Wong said she had 'anticipated' would attract as many as it did, given 'the distress of Australians on what we are seeing unfolding in Gaza'.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin took a swipe at Senator Wong's calls for the war to end before hostages were released and said Israel had 'a moral obligation' to bring its people home no matter the cost.
'Israel has a moral obligation to do everything it can, diplomatically and militarily, to bring its starved and tortured people home,' Mr Ryvchin said.
'We would demand no less of our own government.
'We agree with the Foreign Minister that a permanent end to the war offers the best hope of saving the remaining hostages.
'But Israel accepted the internationally-brokered ceasefire that would have seen the unfettered flow of aid, the phased return of hostages and a pathway to a permanent end to the war.
'Hamas has rejected it since May. It is unsatisfactory for this material fact to be omitted, giving the false impression that Israel is the barrier to the ceasefire and not Hamas.' Read related topics: Israel Nation
As Tim Gurner and Graham Turner blast the policy, smaller employers from the NSW-Victorian border say it's just another example of why it's easier to run a business 'across the river'. Politics
Mining giant Fortescue's abandoned clean energy projects have left taxpayers exposed to millions in grants amid mounting scrutiny of government renewable subsidies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
17 minutes ago
- ABC News
Risky bailout or smart geopolitics? Nyrstar smelter rescue divides opinion
Welcome to the frontline of global politics: Hobart and Port Pirie. The two cities — with a combined population of less than Geelong — don't necessarily have much in common. But the fact they are both home to smelters run by multi-metals company Nyrstar mean they are now enmeshed in what has become a global arm-wrestle with China over critical minerals and trade policy. "This is the world arriving on Australia's doorstop," said Edward Cavanough, CEO of progressive think tank, The McKell Institute. The reality Mr Cavanough is referring to is a "sophisticated, geo-economic attempt" by China to consolidate critical minerals production within its own country. These are minerals that are pivotal to manufacturing things like solar panels, wind turbines and weapons. China is subsidising its companies to purchase Australian raw materials at prices Australian smelters cannot afford, according to South Australia's peak body for resources. The country then subsidises the processing of those materials into metals while also placing export controls over the finished product. The result is China now dominates the global market for raw minerals both as an extractor and refiner, while companies like Nyrstar say they are losing tens of millions of dollars a month. It was in that context that the federal, South Australian and Tasmanian governments on Tuesday announced a $135 million bailout for Nyrstar's Port Pirie lead smelter and Hobart zinc refinery. It's the second major industrial intervention the South Australian government has made this year; in February, it placed the Whyalla steelworks into administration and combined with the federal government on a $2.4 billion rescue package. Mr Cavanough said it was notable that the Nyrstar intervention was backed by both a Labor government in SA and a Liberal government in Tasmania. He said the country has entered "almost a post-ideological era of intervention" that was no longer characterised by party politics, ideological purity or free-market adherence. "And I think we're going to see more of that from all types of governments all around the world, including here at home." Mr Cavanough said other countries have responded to China's critical minerals moves with hands-on industrial policies. This includes, he said, the Trump administration's effort earlier this year to take a stake in a US steel manufacturer that was acquired by Japan's Nippon Steel, and the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, which was "basically the largest industrial policy intervention for generations in that economy". "We are seeing around the world a new era of industrial policy and it is largely responding to this phenomenal subsidisation policy we're seeing in the Chinese market," he said. "More close to home, countries like Indonesia, in South Asia, all over Africa, there's more government intervention [and] government control of these industries." Confronting China's critical minerals policy was front and centre as the state and federal governments announced the Nyrstar bailout. Speaking to reporters outside the Port Pirie lead smelter on Tuesday, both federal Industry Minister Tim Ayres and SA Premier Peter Malinauskas brandished a small piece of antimony — a metal used in military weapons and electronics — like it was a Medicare Card during a federal election campaign. China currently dominates global production of antimony, but part of the $135 million Nyrstar package will go towards building an antimony production plant in Port Pirie. The SA Premier pointed to this in his attempt to justify the level of public money going towards Nyrstar's operations. "That's an unacceptable risk, particularly in the current geo-strategic environment." Grattan Institute energy and climate change program director Alison Reeve, who has previously warned about the risks of bailing out Nyrstar, said it was positive that the public money would go towards new critical minerals production. "We're certainly not the only country that is concerned about the Chinese hold on particular parts of these supply chains," she said. "I think ... what is good here is we aren't just focusing on propping up the current operations but also about expanding into areas that are potentially going to be growth areas in the future." Now that Nyrstar has got the public help it's been lobbying for, will it stay competitive in the long run? Mining analyst Tim Treadgold was very sceptical. Asked if the company will survive, he said: "In the short-term, yes, in the long-term, no." "Because it can't compete, because China will continue to produce raw materials cheaper than anything Nyrstar can do," he said. Mr Treadgold said Australian companies were dealing with a "toxic cocktail" of high energy costs and competition with China. "The real point is that China is more competitive, it's got cheaper energy costs than Australia, it's got a bigger manufacturing base," he said. "[China] can knock Australian companies off their perch because it's bigger, faster, better and cheaper." Not only is it unclear whether this bailout will succeed, there is also the question of how many more will be needed. Mining company Glencore has approached the federal government for help over the future of its Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville copper refinery. Rio Tinto has reportedly done the same due to problems at its Tomago aluminium smelter in New South Wales. In the "new industrial era", taxpayer help might not be far away.
ABC News
17 minutes ago
- ABC News
Queensland teachers to strike today after pay negotiations with government hit a stalemate
More than 50,000 Queensland school teachers will strike for the first time in 16 years today, after negotiations with the government over pay and conditions broke down last week. The Queensland Teachers' Union (QTU) has asked roughly 570,000 students at the state's 1,266 public schools to keep their children at home where possible. The 24-hour strike is the first since 2009, when teachers across the state walked off the job demanding better pay from the Beattie Labor government. QTU President Cresta Richardson said a live stream from the main meeting in Brisbane would be broadcast to union gatherings around the state. "In our meetings tomorrow we will note the progress of where we're at, and then, from there, consider where to," she said. Union members are expected to vote today on whether to take further industrial action, including more strikes. After the meeting, teachers in Brisbane are planning to march from the Convention Centre to Parliament House, where state budget estimates will be underway. The union said the government had so far offered a pay rise of 8 per cent over three years, and had put a second offer on the table that included a boost in allowances, but not more money. "What's on offer actually brings us into being the lowest paid teachers and school leaders in the country," Ms Richardson said. Ms Richardson said addressing the "well-documented teacher shortage" would require an improvement in both conditions and pay. "We really want our workplaces to be safe – because if our schools are safe for adults, then they are safe for students," she said. Negotiations over a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for the state's teachers were referred to the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) for conciliation by the government last week when no deal could be reached. Ms Richardson said a conciliation meeting had been moved forward by five days and would now be held on Thursday, August 7. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the government had negotiated in good faith. "We have held 18 formal meetings over the past five months and remain at the table to finalise an agreement that supports and values our teachers," he said. Ms Richardson said in flagging the strike in advance, the union had hoped to give parents time to sort out "alternative arrangements for their kids". She added it would be "up to the department and the minister to ensure students [were] appropriately supervised". "There will be some supervision available at school. However, it is not going to be business as usual," she said. Mr Langbroek said schools will "remain open and students will be safely supervised". Teachers who participate in the strike will not be paid.
News.com.au
17 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Keep your children home from school': Queensland teachers prepare to strike for first time in 16 years
More than 50,000 state school teachers across Queensland will strike on Wednesday over serious issues in state schools that the union says has led to a chronic teacher shortage and pay dispute. It will be the first time in 16 years Queensland Teachers Union members stop work in response to claims the Crisafulli government has failed to acknowledge the 'urgency of serious issues' affecting schools across the state. The government says schools will remain open and students would be supervised. QTU president Cresta Richardson said chronic teacher shortages had led to increased workloads and other serious issues, such as violence in schools, that required statewide attention. 'Our members have voted unanimously to send this government a clear message,' she said. 'We are united and dedicated to turning around the exodus of burnt-out teachers and school leaders from our schools. Our students and school communities need the government to do its job.' The union has been negotiating with the state government for better pay and rejected an offer to increase wages by 8 per cent over the next three years. The union boss said the offer would put Queensland teachers at the bottom end of the Australian pay scale. 'We can't let more teachers and school leaders walk out the door,' Ms Richardson said. 'We have to attract and retain our educators. Today is a day to remind everyone how important our state schools are.' The union prepared a detailed case for the Industrial Relations Commission highlighting issues occurring in Queensland schools to start conciliation with the government. 'Our claims are reasonable and genuine, and we believe the independent commissioner will see that,' Ms Richardson said. 'We understand our communities and we understand the pressure parents and caregivers are under, but we need to make sure public education is protected and students receive the teacher numbers and resources their parents enjoyed. 'All Queensland children and their families deserve access to quality, free public education, and our members deserve respect and a living salary for providing it.' Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said Queenslanders had seen the state government continue to negotiate with the QTU in good faith. 'We have held 18 formal meetings over the past five months and remain at the table to finalise an agreement that supports and values our teachers,' he said. 'Principals will be communicating with school communities about any impacts, however, schools remain open and students will be safely supervised.' QTU's strike over pay and working conditions has been supported by the independent Education Union. While its members cannot participate in Wednesday's stop work action, Independent Education Union Queensland and NT branch secretary Terry Burke said its members shared QTU's commitment to ensure teacher's received professional wages and recognition. Mr Burke said state sector wages affected the entire education profession and its members from 1200 non-government schools across the state passed a resolution in support of the strike action.
