16th May 2024, 12:34 PM – Senate Motions - Parliamentary Standards - "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by South Australian Senator Simon Birmingham (Liberal), which means it passed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" opposes Israel's right to exist, and is frequently used by those who seek to intimidate Jewish Australians via acts of antisemitism;

(b) welcomes Prime Minister Albanese agreeing with comments from former Defence Department Secretary Dennis Richardson calling the slogan "a very violent statement" which could "easily flow into actions of violence against communities in our own country";

(c) agrees with Prime Minister Albanese that "it is a slogan that calls for opposition to a two-state solution", and that "those people chanting, they're saying that one state should be Palestine";

(d) concurs with Prime Minister Albanese's statements in relation to recent university protests that "it's important that there be respectful debate in this country and what we're seeing at the moment… what is hatred, what is ignorance, what is divisive…and it doesn't have a place"; and

(e) calls on all senators to engage in debates and commentary respectfully, and to refrain from inflammatory and divisive comments, both inside and outside the chamber at all times.