Division Description Changes — Matters of Urgency — Israel — 18th Oct 2023

Change	Division
senate vote 2023-10-18#12 Edited by mackay staff on 2024-02-03 21:33:28	Title ~~Matters of Urgency — Israel~~ Matters of Urgency - Israel - Oppose invasion of Gaza Description ~~<p class="speaker">Matt O'Sullivan</p>~~ <p>I inform the Senate that the President has received the following letter from Senator McKim:</p> The majority voted against a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2023-10-18.179.2) introduced under the name of Tasmanian Senator [Nick McKim](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/tasmania/nick_mckim) (Greens), which means it failed. ### Motion text *> That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a ma*tter of urgency: > *>> That the** Senate opposes Israel's invasion of Gaza.* <p class="italic">Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today the Australian Greens propose to move "That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:</p> ~~<p class="italic">That the Senate opposes Israel's invasion of Gaza."</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>With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clock in line with informal arrangements made by the whips. I just remind senators of the standing orders. If there are any interruptions, I will be calling those senators to stop.</p> ~~<p class="speaker">Jordon Steele-John</p>~~ ~~<p>At the request of Senator McKim, I move:</p>~~ ~~<p class="italic">That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:</p>~~ ~~<p class="italic">That the Senate opposes Israel's invasion of Gaza.</p>~~ <p>This motion is very simple. It calls upon the Senate to oppose the state of Israel's invasion of Gaza. That is it. We are calling upon this chamber to condemn an invasion which will turn a humanitarian disaster into a humanitarian catastrophe. The reality is, right now, the state of Israel is engaged in the commission of war crimes against the Palestinian population of Gaza. Over a million children are trapped in the Gaza Strip. Forty per cent of the population of the Gaza Strip are below the age of 15. And yet we are seeing the Israeli military engage in a campaign of indiscriminate bombing of civilians, and we have seen devastating loss of civilian life. The very same compassion and commitment to honesty and to justice and to peace which has rightly moved so many to condemn the war crimes of Hamas upon innocent Israeli civilians on 7 October must now move this Senate to condemn the war crimes of the state of Israel against the people of Gaza and to oppose its impending invasion.</p> <p>We are seeing hospitals bombed. We are seeing ambulances bombed. Journalists are being murdered. Health workers are being murdered. An entire section of the world, a section of the world half the size of the ACT, home to over two million people, is subject to a military siege denying them food, water, electricity and medicine, in a textbook violation of the Geneva Convention. These are war crimes, and an invasion by the state of Israel of Gaza must be opposed. International human rights organisations are uniting in their call for engagement and action by the global community. The Secretary General of Amnesty International has said, 'The cost of unreserved support for the government of Israel in this invasion, particularly the unreserved support of the United States and of the European Union, is more war crimes against civilians.' The more that we allow this to occur without calling it for what it is, the more we become complicit in the commission of these crimes.</p> <p>This is an opportunity for the Senate to place itself on the right side of history. It's an opportunity, in this moment of challenge for our community, to state clearly that this chamber at least is able to find it in itself to oppose an invasion which will see children and innocent civilians subjected to even more destruction and to do so in the full knowledge that the evidence on the ground speaks clearly to what the state of Israel and its military have already committed against the communities of Gaza. We must take this moment to state clearly that we oppose this invasion. We must take this moment to state clearly that we oppose the destruction of civilian life. The Greens will continue in solidarity with the Australian Palestinian community— <i>(Time expired)</i></p> ~~<p class="speaker">Claire Chandler</p>~~ <p>I'm sure that every member of the Senate shares a deep concern for every innocent civilian, both in Gaza and in Israel, whose life has been put at risk by the abhorrent, barbaric acts of evil perpetrated by Hamas. Every single loss of life of an innocent civilian is a tragedy. They are tragedies that one side is determined to avoid and the other side, being Hamas, is determined to maximise in pursuit of its evil goals and ideology. Hamas has murdered 1,300 Israeli citizens as well as citizens of a number of other countries, including Australia. They have raped women, they have killed babies and small children and they have taken 200 innocent Israelis hostage.</p> <p>It is a real shame that, when Israelis are murdered, the Greens have to find the first opportunity they can to criticise and condemn Israel. It seems that, for a certain segment of the far left, the expectation is that Israel must sit by and be attacked by terrorists day in and day out. When one of those attacks breaks through Israel's defences and murders over a thousand Israelis, the far left can't even allow one day of mourning for the innocent victims before they jump up to say that Israel is to blame and condemn any military response by Israel to save its own people and bring the terrorists to justice. They suggest that Israel should leave its own citizens held hostage in Gaza to the mercy of a terrorist group which has no mercy and which seeks to eradicate Israel and all of its citizens.</p> <p>This motion put up by the Greens today could have condemned Hamas. It could have called for Hamas to release all of the hostages that have been taken. It could have called for action by the international community to stop the Islamic Republic of Iran funding Hamas and Hezbollah to murder Jews. It could have condemned the IRI regime and all of its proxies, who have threatened all-out war against Israel, a threat which puts every civilian in the region in danger. But, no, the Greens have chosen to oppose one of the very few options Israel has on the table, one which may—hopefully—give it a chance to save the women, the young children and the elderly being held in horrific conditions by Hamas.</p> <p>Nobody wants to see war—a ground war or any other kind of war—but what exactly do the Greens want Israel to do other than capitulate to Hamas and let them keep doing as they have done? As Australians, we desperately hope never to be in a situation where our government has to come up with a plan to rescue 200 of our citizens being held hostage by the most barbaric terrorist group on the planet. We certainly hope that we will never be in the situation of having several of the worst terrorist groups on earth on our border, repeatedly trying to fire rockets and kill our citizens however they can, but that is exactly the situation that Israel is currently in, while the far left in western countries pass judgement and condemn them, even while Israel mourns the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. I point out that the action that the Greens are condemning today hasn't actually happened yet.</p> <p>For many days Israel has been issuing warnings to citizens of Gaza to move away from danger areas, but Hamas has been actively stopping civilians from moving to safer areas. Why doesn't this motion that we are debating here today oppose Hamas deliberately using civilians of Gaza as human shields, as they have done for years? Hamas is the occupier of Gaza. For as long as Hamas is protected and controls Gaza then the citizens of Gaza will never be safe or free. That's what this motion that we are discussing here today could have discussed. That is what the Greens could have found within themselves to discuss in this chamber today.</p> <p>We in the coalition unequivocally must condemn the motion they have put up. We condemn the Greens shamelessly playing politics with the situation that is currently playing out in the Middle East.</p> ~~<p class="speaker">Glenn Sterle</p>~~ <p>At the outset I want to highlight the inappropriateness in my mind of the Greens bringing this matter of urgency forward when all senators in this place had the opportunity to debate an extensive motion on the issue, including the Greens amendment, and vote on it this morning. Sadly, I'm not surprised. Shame on anyone who politicises this tragedy for their own childish political gains.</p> <p>As has already been said, any loss of innocent life is a tragedy. This is an extremely alarming time not just for the people in Israel and Gaza but also for Israelis and Palestinians and their loved ones around the world and here in Australia. To date and at the last count 2,778 Palestinians have been killed, 9,700 Palestinians have been wounded, an additional 1,200 have been buried under rubble, more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed and a further 3,000 wounded. The attack on Israel also resulted in some 200 people being taken as hostages into Gaza. These are innocent civilians—the elderly, children, babies and young people enjoying a music festival. This is why this whole situation is simply devastating.</p> <p>As Senator Wong stated during question time today, we urge the protection of civilian lives. Furthermore, this is not an ordinary political debate. Everyone has their own views on this and for many it is extremely personal. Every life matters. We must all never forget that. I take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of all civilians, both Israelis and Palestinians, who have lost their lives as a result of this conflict. We have seen a devastating loss of innocent life with the heinous attacks on Israel by the brutal terrorist group Hamas.</p> <p>Far from representing the Palestinian people, Hamas undermines Palestinian needs and aspirations. We continue to call for the unconditional release of all hostages. We stand with Israel and reiterate its right to defend itself. The Australian government reiterates our call for the protection of civilian lives and the observance of international humanitarian law. The Albanese government's guiding principle has always been the pursuit of peace and progress towards a just and enduring two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live within secure borders. One of the many tragedies of what Hamas has done is it has pushed any prospects for peace further from reach, undermining the legitimate aspirations and the needs of the Palestinian people themselves.</p> <p>The humanitarian situation in Gaza precipitated by Hamas's actions is of serious concern and it is rapidly deteriorating. To ensure that essential humanitarian relief can reach the civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza, Australia calls for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza and the rapid establishment of a humanitarian corridor. Australia is providing an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza. Australia will provide $3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to fund urgent needs, like restoring essential services and providing medical support to the victims of the conflict. Australia will continue to monitor and assess the humanitarian situation and stands ready to provide further support. Many of us here know and have friends and/or family in these affected areas. It's important we stand together as a community during this time.</p> <p>Last week I had the pleasure of attending a gathering in Perth—I would rather have been there under different circumstances—organised by the Perth Hebrew Congregation, where more than 1,000 Western Australians gathered together inside the synagogue, with many more attending outside who could not fit in, to support Israel. The congregation sang the prayer Oseh Shalom, which means prayer for 'one thing above all: that for Israel, for the Jewish people and for the world that there should be peace.' Peace and empathy are what we should be calling for and striving for here, particularly in this building—not turning this horrible situation into a topic for an MPI in this place.</p> ~~<p class='motion-notice motion-notice-truncated'>Long debate text truncated.</p>~~

~~Matt O'Sullivan~~
I inform the Senate that the President has received the following letter from Senator McKim:
The majority voted against a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2023-10-18.179.2) introduced under the name of Tasmanian Senator [Nick McKim](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/tasmania/nick_mckim) (Greens), which means it failed.
### Motion text
> *That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:*
>
>> *That the Senate opposes Israel's invasion of Gaza.*
Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today the Australian Greens propose to move "That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:
~~That the Senate opposes Israel's invasion of Gaza."~~
~~Is the proposal supported?~~
~~ More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—~~
With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clock in line with informal arrangements made by the whips. I just remind senators of the standing orders. If there are any interruptions, I will be calling those senators to stop.
~~Jordon Steele-John~~
~~At the request of Senator McKim, I move:~~
~~That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:~~
~~That the Senate opposes Israel's invasion of Gaza.~~
This motion is very simple. It calls upon the Senate to oppose the state of Israel's invasion of Gaza. That is it. We are calling upon this chamber to condemn an invasion which will turn a humanitarian disaster into a humanitarian catastrophe. The reality is, right now, the state of Israel is engaged in the commission of war crimes against the Palestinian population of Gaza. Over a million children are trapped in the Gaza Strip. Forty per cent of the population of the Gaza Strip are below the age of 15. And yet we are seeing the Israeli military engage in a campaign of indiscriminate bombing of civilians, and we have seen devastating loss of civilian life. The very same compassion and commitment to honesty and to justice and to peace which has rightly moved so many to condemn the war crimes of Hamas upon innocent Israeli civilians on 7 October must now move this Senate to condemn the war crimes of the state of Israel against the people of Gaza and to oppose its impending invasion.
We are seeing hospitals bombed. We are seeing ambulances bombed. Journalists are being murdered. Health workers are being murdered. An entire section of the world, a section of the world half the size of the ACT, home to over two million people, is subject to a military siege denying them food, water, electricity and medicine, in a textbook violation of the Geneva Convention. These are war crimes, and an invasion by the state of Israel of Gaza must be opposed. International human rights organisations are uniting in their call for engagement and action by the global community. The Secretary General of Amnesty International has said, 'The cost of unreserved support for the government of Israel in this invasion, particularly the unreserved support of the United States and of the European Union, is more war crimes against civilians.' The more that we allow this to occur without calling it for what it is, the more we become complicit in the commission of these crimes.
This is an opportunity for the Senate to place itself on the right side of history. It's an opportunity, in this moment of challenge for our community, to state clearly that this chamber at least is able to find it in itself to oppose an invasion which will see children and innocent civilians subjected to even more destruction and to do so in the full knowledge that the evidence on the ground speaks clearly to what the state of Israel and its military have already committed against the communities of Gaza. We must take this moment to state clearly that we oppose this invasion. We must take this moment to state clearly that we oppose the destruction of civilian life. The Greens will continue in solidarity with the Australian Palestinian community— (Time expired)
~~Claire Chandler~~
I'm sure that every member of the Senate shares a deep concern for every innocent civilian, both in Gaza and in Israel, whose life has been put at risk by the abhorrent, barbaric acts of evil perpetrated by Hamas. Every single loss of life of an innocent civilian is a tragedy. They are tragedies that one side is determined to avoid and the other side, being Hamas, is determined to maximise in pursuit of its evil goals and ideology. Hamas has murdered 1,300 Israeli citizens as well as citizens of a number of other countries, including Australia. They have raped women, they have killed babies and small children and they have taken 200 innocent Israelis hostage.
It is a real shame that, when Israelis are murdered, the Greens have to find the first opportunity they can to criticise and condemn Israel. It seems that, for a certain segment of the far left, the expectation is that Israel must sit by and be attacked by terrorists day in and day out. When one of those attacks breaks through Israel's defences and murders over a thousand Israelis, the far left can't even allow one day of mourning for the innocent victims before they jump up to say that Israel is to blame and condemn any military response by Israel to save its own people and bring the terrorists to justice. They suggest that Israel should leave its own citizens held hostage in Gaza to the mercy of a terrorist group which has no mercy and which seeks to eradicate Israel and all of its citizens.
This motion put up by the Greens today could have condemned Hamas. It could have called for Hamas to release all of the hostages that have been taken. It could have called for action by the international community to stop the Islamic Republic of Iran funding Hamas and Hezbollah to murder Jews. It could have condemned the IRI regime and all of its proxies, who have threatened all-out war against Israel, a threat which puts every civilian in the region in danger. But, no, the Greens have chosen to oppose one of the very few options Israel has on the table, one which may—hopefully—give it a chance to save the women, the young children and the elderly being held in horrific conditions by Hamas.
Nobody wants to see war—a ground war or any other kind of war—but what exactly do the Greens want Israel to do other than capitulate to Hamas and let them keep doing as they have done? As Australians, we desperately hope never to be in a situation where our government has to come up with a plan to rescue 200 of our citizens being held hostage by the most barbaric terrorist group on the planet. We certainly hope that we will never be in the situation of having several of the worst terrorist groups on earth on our border, repeatedly trying to fire rockets and kill our citizens however they can, but that is exactly the situation that Israel is currently in, while the far left in western countries pass judgement and condemn them, even while Israel mourns the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. I point out that the action that the Greens are condemning today hasn't actually happened yet.
For many days Israel has been issuing warnings to citizens of Gaza to move away from danger areas, but Hamas has been actively stopping civilians from moving to safer areas. Why doesn't this motion that we are debating here today oppose Hamas deliberately using civilians of Gaza as human shields, as they have done for years? Hamas is the occupier of Gaza. For as long as Hamas is protected and controls Gaza then the citizens of Gaza will never be safe or free. That's what this motion that we are discussing here today could have discussed. That is what the Greens could have found within themselves to discuss in this chamber today.
We in the coalition unequivocally must condemn the motion they have put up. We condemn the Greens shamelessly playing politics with the situation that is currently playing out in the Middle East.
~~Glenn Sterle~~
At the outset I want to highlight the inappropriateness in my mind of the Greens bringing this matter of urgency forward when all senators in this place had the opportunity to debate an extensive motion on the issue, including the Greens amendment, and vote on it this morning. Sadly, I'm not surprised. Shame on anyone who politicises this tragedy for their own childish political gains.
As has already been said, any loss of innocent life is a tragedy. This is an extremely alarming time not just for the people in Israel and Gaza but also for Israelis and Palestinians and their loved ones around the world and here in Australia. To date and at the last count 2,778 Palestinians have been killed, 9,700 Palestinians have been wounded, an additional 1,200 have been buried under rubble, more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed and a further 3,000 wounded. The attack on Israel also resulted in some 200 people being taken as hostages into Gaza. These are innocent civilians—the elderly, children, babies and young people enjoying a music festival. This is why this whole situation is simply devastating.
As Senator Wong stated during question time today, we urge the protection of civilian lives. Furthermore, this is not an ordinary political debate. Everyone has their own views on this and for many it is extremely personal. Every life matters. We must all never forget that. I take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of all civilians, both Israelis and Palestinians, who have lost their lives as a result of this conflict. We have seen a devastating loss of innocent life with the heinous attacks on Israel by the brutal terrorist group Hamas.
Far from representing the Palestinian people, Hamas undermines Palestinian needs and aspirations. We continue to call for the unconditional release of all hostages. We stand with Israel and reiterate its right to defend itself. The Australian government reiterates our call for the protection of civilian lives and the observance of international humanitarian law. The Albanese government's guiding principle has always been the pursuit of peace and progress towards a just and enduring two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live within secure borders. One of the many tragedies of what Hamas has done is it has pushed any prospects for peace further from reach, undermining the legitimate aspirations and the needs of the Palestinian people themselves.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza precipitated by Hamas's actions is of serious concern and it is rapidly deteriorating. To ensure that essential humanitarian relief can reach the civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza, Australia calls for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza and the rapid establishment of a humanitarian corridor. Australia is providing an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza. Australia will provide $3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to fund urgent needs, like restoring essential services and providing medical support to the victims of the conflict. Australia will continue to monitor and assess the humanitarian situation and stands ready to provide further support. Many of us here know and have friends and/or family in these affected areas. It's important we stand together as a community during this time.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a gathering in Perth—I would rather have been there under different circumstances—organised by the Perth Hebrew Congregation, where more than 1,000 Western Australians gathered together inside the synagogue, with many more attending outside who could not fit in, to support Israel. The congregation sang the prayer Oseh Shalom, which means prayer for 'one thing above all: that for Israel, for the Jewish people and for the world that there should be peace.' Peace and empathy are what we should be calling for and striving for here, particularly in this building—not turning this horrible situation into a topic for an MPI in this place.
~~Long debate text truncated.~~