Division Description Changes — Matters of Urgency — State of Israel — 25th Oct 2022

Change	Division
senate vote 2022-10-25#5 Edited by mackay staff on 2022-10-27 15:03:13	Title ~~Matters of Urgency — State of Israel~~ Matters of Urgency - State of Israel - Recognition of West Jerusalem as capital Description ~~<p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p>~~ ~~<p>I inform the Senate that I have received the following letter, dated 25 October 2022, from Senator Birmingham:</p>~~ The majority voted against a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2022-10-25.118.2) introduced by South Australian Senator [Simon Birmingham](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/sa/simon_birmingham), which means it failed. ### Motion text *> That, in the opinion of the Senate,** the following is a matter of urgency:* > >> The need for the Senate to reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters, and the need for Prime Minister Albanese to apologise to Israeli Prime Minister Lapid for the hasty and careless manner in which the decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was made. <p class="italic">Dear President</p> ~~<p class="italic">Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move 'That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:</p>~~ <p class="italic">The need for the Senate to reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters, and the need for Prime Minister Albanese to apologise to Israeli Prime Minister Lapid for the hasty and careless manner in which the decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was made.'</p> ~~<p>Is the proposal supported?</p>~~ ~~<p class="italic"> <i>More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—</i></p>~~ ~~<p>I understand that informal arrangements have been made to allocate specific times for speakers. With the concurrence of the Senate, I shall ask the clerks to set the clock accordingly.</p>~~ ~~<p class="speaker">Simon Birmingham</p>~~ ~~<p>I move:</p>~~ ~~<p class="italic">That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:</p>~~ <p class="italic">The need for the Senate to reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters, and the need for Prime Minister Albanese to apologise to Israeli Prime Minister Lapid for the hasty and careless manner in which the decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was made.</p> <p>In question time today Senator Wong described the Prime Minister as 'a man of courage and a man of integrity'. Well, courage entails telling people when you're going to do things that they might disagree with, that might be unpopular with them and that might have consequences for you in terms of people choosing, in an electoral contest, to vote against you. That would be courage. Integrity, of course, would be being honest, up-front and direct with them.</p> <p>In the context of the government's decision to reverse the recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Mr Albanese and the Labor Party showed neither courage nor integrity. In fact, it was quite the opposite: Labor's completely unnecessary decision that Australia will cease to recognise West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital has been a shambolic process. It has been contemptuous of so many stakeholders and was executed with shocking timing. Firstly, though, the Labor Party and Mr Albanese were deceptive and misleading in this decision-making. Senior Labor members of parliament went to the last election assuring concerned stakeholders, including members of the Australian Jewish community, that, on the question of Israel, it didn't matter which way they voted at the last election. The now Attorney-General, Mr Dreyfus, wrote an article in <i>Australian Jewish News</i> on 6 March this year attacking Scott Morrison for the suggestion that there was any difference in policies between the two sides; they just said it didn't matter. Mr Dreyfus claimed that, across domestic politics, Australia, spoke 'with one voice'. He was echoed by Josh Burns, who did likewise, saying Australia's Jewish community should feel proud that its interests would be safeguarded irrespective of who forms government.</p> <p>Mr Dreyfus, Mr Burns and other Labor members and senators who provided those reassurances to Australia's Jewish community should feel shame, not pride, for misleading the community ahead of the last election. Contrary to their reassurances, the Albanese government has taken not one step but, indeed, multiple steps so far of difference, of change of policy. They did so, in fact, within weeks of their election, when they refused to join 22 other nations, including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States, in voting in favour of a key motion put to the UN Human Rights Council. It was a motion simply expressing deep concern at the disproportionate scrutiny placed on Israel from an open-ended commission of inquiry into alleged human rights abuses. This, I note, is the same council that recently declined to even debate a one-off report on serious abuses in the Xinjiang region of China.</p> <p>The government made the decision to step away from working with like-mindeds and standing for the principle around fairness, equity and scrutiny. They then made this decision to overturn the recognition of West Jerusalem but did so in the most cack-handed and shambolic of ways possible. They misled voters and the community, saying it wasn't going to happen. Then, when it leaked out onto a departmental website, the minister's office rushed to reassure the community, the media and the Israeli government that it wasn't happening, that it hadn't happened. Then, within hours, the minister came out and announced that it was happening, that they were doing it, that they were reversing the decision, and they happened to do so on a Jewish holy day—really? Who on earth was providing the advice? Where was the due diligence? How chaotic was the process behind the scenes to be so inconsiderate that the Prime Minister and the foreign minister themselves had to acknowledge the failure of the timing there?</p> <p>It was also two weeks before the Israeli election. Even if the government hadn't checked the Jewish calendar for holy days, surely they were aware an Israeli election was coming and that this would feed into domestic politics there? Did they speak with the Israeli government? No, not to consult in advance of providing this announcement and decision. The Israeli Prime Minister condemned the government. Mr Albanese should pick up the phone to apologise. This is a mess of the government's making. It's been misleading the community and an apology is clearly owed to those who have been affected by this decision. <i>(Time expired)</i></p> ~~<p class="speaker">Tim Ayres</p>~~ ~~<p>This motion from Senator Birmingham seeks to:</p>~~ ~~<p class="italic">… reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters …</p>~~ ~~<p>It's like Attila the Hun complaining about human rights abuses!</p>~~ <p>My question is: where was Senator Birmingham's motion when the Morrison government announced an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 in a Sunday morning television interview without having done the diplomatic legwork to lock in support? Where was Senator Birmingham's motion when Mr Dutton, with Mr Abbott and Mr Morrison, stood around on live television joking about water lapping around the feet of Pacific islanders? Where was Senator Birmingham's motion last year, when the former Prime Minister blindsided our friends the French with his AUKUS announcement? And, indeed, where was Senator Birmingham's motion in 2018, when the Morrison government broke with the vast majority of the international community to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?</p> <p>The decision by the Morrison government to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel broke with a position that had been held by every Australian government since 1948. If ever there was a moment for careful consideration, it was then. There was nothing hasty, careless or surprising about Senator Wong's announcement last week.</p> <p>When the Morrison government announced its position in 2018, Senator Wong made our position very clear. The position hasn't changed. The Australian government remains committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state can coexist in peace and security within internationally recognised borders. This is a position that hasn't changed since the Gorton government established that position following the Six-Day War in 1967. The position was maintained by Prime Ministers Fraser, Hawke, Howard, Gillard and Turnbull. There's been only one Prime Minister who's departed from that bipartisan and correct foreign policy approach, and that's Mr Morrison. And why did he do that? For base political reasons. It was a cynical political ploy, a desperate and failed attempt. It's one thing to go through a sordid announcement about a position that is designed only for domestic political purposes and then win; it's an entirely separate thing to do that and then have it blow up in your face and lose, which is what Mr Morrison did—abject failure. Even cynics would be embarrassed by Mr Morrison's cynicism on this question.</p> <p>This is a challenging foreign policy question. It should be dealt with by adults. There are competing interests and rights, issues of social justice and a series of historical wrongs, and there's violence. The prospect of peace and justice don't seem to be getting stronger; they seem to be getting more remote every year. It requires consistency, responsibility, careful evaluation of the merits and acting carefully in the national interest and the interest of peace with our allies and partners in a way that is consistent with our national interest. What has the coalition approach been, Mr Morrison's approach? It has been to seek domestic political advantage rather than to do the right thing. It's been a political tactic to play with the hopes and aspirations of the State of Israel, of the Palestinians and their various supporters and of people who are interested in the issue in Australia. Well, the adults are in charge again now. The traditional bipartisan position has been reasserted.</p> <p>Senator Wong has expressed her regret. She said the timing of the announcement on Simhath Torah was deeply regrettable. That'll be another feature of this government: when something goes wrong, we will take responsibility, not run away from it and pretend it was our plan all along. We'll just take responsibility. That's what Senator Wong has done. That's what we will continue to do. The adults are back in charge, and we will not use this issue for base political advantage. <i>(Time expired)</i></p> ~~<p class="speaker">Jordon Steele-John</p>~~ <p>Labor's decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a welcome move. After all, the Morrison government's original announcement was nothing more than a craven attempt to employ an action straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. The Australian Greens' foreign policy is grounded in lived experience and in the needs of the community. Peace and non-violent approaches to the resolution of conflict will always drive our response. We in the Greens recognise the ongoing injustices that have been done and are being done to the Palestinian people, and we express our deep solidarity. We acknowledge and note that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups have concluded that the Israeli government is committing the act and is guilty of the crime of apartheid.</p> <p>Following the decision to not recognise West Jerusalem as the capital, we are calling on the federal government to do the following: to recognise the self-determination and statehood of Palestinians and push to ensure an end to the Israeli occupation; to halt military cooperation and military trade with the State of Israel; and to work towards rectifying the injustices in a way that will allow both Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace. We must work to find a way to support the people of Israel and the people of Palestine to live their lives in peace.</p> ~~<p class='motion-notice motion-notice-truncated'>Long debate text truncated.</p>~~

~~Sue Lines~~
~~I inform the Senate that I have received the following letter, dated 25 October 2022, from Senator Birmingham:~~
The majority voted against a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2022-10-25.118.2) introduced by South Australian Senator [Simon Birmingham](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/sa/simon_birmingham), which means it failed.
### Motion text
> *That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:*
>
>> *The need for the Senate to reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters, and the need for Prime Minister Albanese to apologise to Israeli Prime Minister Lapid for the hasty and careless manner in which the decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was made.*
Dear President
~~Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move 'That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:~~
The need for the Senate to reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters, and the need for Prime Minister Albanese to apologise to Israeli Prime Minister Lapid for the hasty and careless manner in which the decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was made.'
~~Is the proposal supported?~~
~~ More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—~~
~~I understand that informal arrangements have been made to allocate specific times for speakers. With the concurrence of the Senate, I shall ask the clerks to set the clock accordingly.~~
~~Simon Birmingham~~
~~I move:~~
~~That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:~~
The need for the Senate to reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters, and the need for Prime Minister Albanese to apologise to Israeli Prime Minister Lapid for the hasty and careless manner in which the decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was made.
In question time today Senator Wong described the Prime Minister as 'a man of courage and a man of integrity'. Well, courage entails telling people when you're going to do things that they might disagree with, that might be unpopular with them and that might have consequences for you in terms of people choosing, in an electoral contest, to vote against you. That would be courage. Integrity, of course, would be being honest, up-front and direct with them.
In the context of the government's decision to reverse the recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Mr Albanese and the Labor Party showed neither courage nor integrity. In fact, it was quite the opposite: Labor's completely unnecessary decision that Australia will cease to recognise West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital has been a shambolic process. It has been contemptuous of so many stakeholders and was executed with shocking timing. Firstly, though, the Labor Party and Mr Albanese were deceptive and misleading in this decision-making. Senior Labor members of parliament went to the last election assuring concerned stakeholders, including members of the Australian Jewish community, that, on the question of Israel, it didn't matter which way they voted at the last election. The now Attorney-General, Mr Dreyfus, wrote an article in Australian Jewish News on 6 March this year attacking Scott Morrison for the suggestion that there was any difference in policies between the two sides; they just said it didn't matter. Mr Dreyfus claimed that, across domestic politics, Australia, spoke 'with one voice'. He was echoed by Josh Burns, who did likewise, saying Australia's Jewish community should feel proud that its interests would be safeguarded irrespective of who forms government.
Mr Dreyfus, Mr Burns and other Labor members and senators who provided those reassurances to Australia's Jewish community should feel shame, not pride, for misleading the community ahead of the last election. Contrary to their reassurances, the Albanese government has taken not one step but, indeed, multiple steps so far of difference, of change of policy. They did so, in fact, within weeks of their election, when they refused to join 22 other nations, including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States, in voting in favour of a key motion put to the UN Human Rights Council. It was a motion simply expressing deep concern at the disproportionate scrutiny placed on Israel from an open-ended commission of inquiry into alleged human rights abuses. This, I note, is the same council that recently declined to even debate a one-off report on serious abuses in the Xinjiang region of China.
The government made the decision to step away from working with like-mindeds and standing for the principle around fairness, equity and scrutiny. They then made this decision to overturn the recognition of West Jerusalem but did so in the most cack-handed and shambolic of ways possible. They misled voters and the community, saying it wasn't going to happen. Then, when it leaked out onto a departmental website, the minister's office rushed to reassure the community, the media and the Israeli government that it wasn't happening, that it hadn't happened. Then, within hours, the minister came out and announced that it was happening, that they were doing it, that they were reversing the decision, and they happened to do so on a Jewish holy day—really? Who on earth was providing the advice? Where was the due diligence? How chaotic was the process behind the scenes to be so inconsiderate that the Prime Minister and the foreign minister themselves had to acknowledge the failure of the timing there?
It was also two weeks before the Israeli election. Even if the government hadn't checked the Jewish calendar for holy days, surely they were aware an Israeli election was coming and that this would feed into domestic politics there? Did they speak with the Israeli government? No, not to consult in advance of providing this announcement and decision. The Israeli Prime Minister condemned the government. Mr Albanese should pick up the phone to apologise. This is a mess of the government's making. It's been misleading the community and an apology is clearly owed to those who have been affected by this decision. (Time expired)
~~Tim Ayres~~
~~This motion from Senator Birmingham seeks to:~~
~~… reaffirm the importance of consultation and careful consideration when dealing with complex and sensitive foreign affairs matters …~~
~~It's like Attila the Hun complaining about human rights abuses!~~
My question is: where was Senator Birmingham's motion when the Morrison government announced an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 in a Sunday morning television interview without having done the diplomatic legwork to lock in support? Where was Senator Birmingham's motion when Mr Dutton, with Mr Abbott and Mr Morrison, stood around on live television joking about water lapping around the feet of Pacific islanders? Where was Senator Birmingham's motion last year, when the former Prime Minister blindsided our friends the French with his AUKUS announcement? And, indeed, where was Senator Birmingham's motion in 2018, when the Morrison government broke with the vast majority of the international community to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?
The decision by the Morrison government to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel broke with a position that had been held by every Australian government since 1948. If ever there was a moment for careful consideration, it was then. There was nothing hasty, careless or surprising about Senator Wong's announcement last week.
When the Morrison government announced its position in 2018, Senator Wong made our position very clear. The position hasn't changed. The Australian government remains committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state can coexist in peace and security within internationally recognised borders. This is a position that hasn't changed since the Gorton government established that position following the Six-Day War in 1967. The position was maintained by Prime Ministers Fraser, Hawke, Howard, Gillard and Turnbull. There's been only one Prime Minister who's departed from that bipartisan and correct foreign policy approach, and that's Mr Morrison. And why did he do that? For base political reasons. It was a cynical political ploy, a desperate and failed attempt. It's one thing to go through a sordid announcement about a position that is designed only for domestic political purposes and then win; it's an entirely separate thing to do that and then have it blow up in your face and lose, which is what Mr Morrison did—abject failure. Even cynics would be embarrassed by Mr Morrison's cynicism on this question.
This is a challenging foreign policy question. It should be dealt with by adults. There are competing interests and rights, issues of social justice and a series of historical wrongs, and there's violence. The prospect of peace and justice don't seem to be getting stronger; they seem to be getting more remote every year. It requires consistency, responsibility, careful evaluation of the merits and acting carefully in the national interest and the interest of peace with our allies and partners in a way that is consistent with our national interest. What has the coalition approach been, Mr Morrison's approach? It has been to seek domestic political advantage rather than to do the right thing. It's been a political tactic to play with the hopes and aspirations of the State of Israel, of the Palestinians and their various supporters and of people who are interested in the issue in Australia. Well, the adults are in charge again now. The traditional bipartisan position has been reasserted.
Senator Wong has expressed her regret. She said the timing of the announcement on Simhath Torah was deeply regrettable. That'll be another feature of this government: when something goes wrong, we will take responsibility, not run away from it and pretend it was our plan all along. We'll just take responsibility. That's what Senator Wong has done. That's what we will continue to do. The adults are back in charge, and we will not use this issue for base political advantage. (Time expired)
~~Jordon Steele-John~~
Labor's decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a welcome move. After all, the Morrison government's original announcement was nothing more than a craven attempt to employ an action straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. The Australian Greens' foreign policy is grounded in lived experience and in the needs of the community. Peace and non-violent approaches to the resolution of conflict will always drive our response. We in the Greens recognise the ongoing injustices that have been done and are being done to the Palestinian people, and we express our deep solidarity. We acknowledge and note that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups have concluded that the Israeli government is committing the act and is guilty of the crime of apartheid.
Following the decision to not recognise West Jerusalem as the capital, we are calling on the federal government to do the following: to recognise the self-determination and statehood of Palestinians and push to ensure an end to the Israeli occupation; to halt military cooperation and military trade with the State of Israel; and to work towards rectifying the injustices in a way that will allow both Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace. We must work to find a way to support the people of Israel and the people of Palestine to live their lives in peace.
~~Long debate text truncated.~~