That the House of Representatives:
(1) reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel which took place on 7 October 2023, in which more than 1,200 innocent Israelis were killed, the largest loss of Jewish life on any single day since the Holocaust;
(2) recognises that hundreds more innocent people were subjected to brutality and violence on that day;
(3) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all the remaining hostages;
(4) condemns the murder of hostages and the inhumane conditions and violence, including sexual violence, that hostages have experienced;
(5) mourns with all impacted by these heinous acts;
(6) condemns antisemitism in all its forms and stands with Jewish Australians who have felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day;
(7) reiterates Australia’s consistent positions to call for the protection of civilian lives and adherence to international law;
(8) mourns the death of all innocent civilians, recognising the number of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza and the catastrophic humanitarian situation;
(9) supports ongoing international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza and Lebanon;
(10) calls for Iran to cease its destabilising actions including through terrorist organisations, the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas, condemns Iran’s attacks on Israel and recognises Israel’s right to defend itself against these attacks;
(11) stresses the need to break the cycle of violence and supports international efforts to deescalate for a ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon and for lasting peace and security for Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese and all people in the region;
(12) affirms its support for a two-state solution, a Palestinian State alongside Israel, so that Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders, as the only option to ensuring a just and enduring peace;
(13) recognises the conflict is deeply distressing for many in the Australian community;
(14) condemns all acts of hatred, division or violence, affirming that they have no place in Australia; and
(15) reaffirms: (a) that symbols of terror and discord are unwelcome in Australia and undermine our nation’s peace and security; (b) the undermining social cohesion and unity by stoking fear and division risks Australia’s domestic security; and (c) the responsibility of each Australian to safeguard the harmony and unity that define our diverse society, especially in times of adversity.
Yesterday, on the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel, we paused to reflect on the horrific terrorist atrocities that reverberated across the world. As we did last October, this parliament comes together again to
unequivocally condemn Hamas’s actions on that day. On October 7 Hamas sought only to kill and to terrify. They perpetrated their crimes without mercy and without discrimination. Men, women and children were subjected to acts of degradation and humiliation that, a year on, remain beyond comprehension, yet Hamas made this waking nightmare a reality. They chose a holy day on the Jewish calendar to target young Israelis at a music festival, to hunt down men, women and children in their homes and to prey on families—on children and on parents trying to protect their children in what often proved to be their desperate final act.
A year on from that day, when death emerged out of the sunshine, we reflect on all that happened and all the devastation that has followed. We think of the brutality and the cruelty that was inflicted on so many, with such cold calculation. We think of all whose lives and futures were stolen from them that day, as they tried to save themselves and their loved ones, and of all who have had them stolen since. We think of those whose lives remain suspended in the fear and isolation of captivity. And we think of those whose own lives and hearts are so intimately connected with the hostages who were kidnapped that day through the bonds of either blood or the embrace of friendship and community. This has been a year of pain, of loss and of grief.
Last night, I attended the vigil in Moorabbin, Melbourne, where I had the sombre privilege of meeting with a relative of Galit Carbone, the Australian woman who was among those killed on that fateful day. I expressed my condolences and those of our nation. We also heard firsthand the experience of those with relatives and friends who were killed by Hamas on that day, who were killed after being taken hostage or who remain hostages. For so many, this past year must have felt like a cruel eternity. For the friends and families I spoke to prior to the event last night, in their torment of not knowing the fate of a loved one who’s been taken hostage or, indeed, having the terrible truth confirmed, October 7 will always be a day of pain.
As we mourn and reflect we also reaffirm a fundamental principle of our shared humanity: that every innocent life matters—every Israeli, every Palestinian, every Lebanese—every single innocent life. It is the terrorists who close their eyes to that powerful, simple truth. It is the terrorists of Hamas who are not only enemies of Israel; they are an enemy of the Palestinian people as well. The number of civilians who have lost their lives over the past year is a tragedy of horrific proportions. An estimated 40,000 Palestinians have been killed. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is devastating.
Our government has consistently and repeatedly called for a ceasefire, for the release of all hostages and for the protection of all civilians. We remain committed to a two-state solution as the path to an enduring peace: two states, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully side by side with prosperity and security for their people—a position that has been bipartisan in this parliament for a long period of time. There can be no possibility of a just future without that. Let’s be very clear. Australia’s position is consistent with that of other democratic countries. I’ve issued multiplem statements with the Prime Ministers of Canada and New Zealand. We know that it is only through diplomatic efforts that this cycle of conflict and bloodshed can be broken. Escalation denies diplomacy any chance of working. On 26 September Australia joined with 11 other nations, including the US, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and Japan, to call for de-escalation. We agree with every word in the G7 statement of this week:
A dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks fuelling uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, which is in no one’s interest. Therefore, we call on all regional players to act responsibly and with restraint. We encourage all parties to engage constructively to de-escalate the current tensions. International humanitarian law must be respected.
We also reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages, a significant and sustained increase in the flow of humanitarian assistance, and an end to the conflict. We fully endorse the efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to reach such a comprehensive deal, in line with United Nations Security Council resolution 2735. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and tens of thousands of innocent lives have been lost. We reiterate the absolute need for the civilian population to be protected and that there must be full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, as a matter of absolute priority.
In his statement, marking the first anniversary of October 7, President Joe Biden said this: We will not stop working to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza that brings the hostages home, allows for a surge in humanitarian aid to ease the suffering on the ground, assures Israel’s security, and ends this war. Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live in security, dignity and peace. We also continue to believe that a diplomatic solution across the Israel-Lebanon border region is the only path to restore lasting calm and allow residents on both sides to return safely to their homes.
A year on from October 7, Israelis and people across the world are mourning those who were robbed of their lives and futures and waiting anxiously for news of the hostages who remain in captivity. Palestinians are mourning the lives taken from them in the continuing aftermath. So much has been lost; so many loved ones buried. We join all of them in their grief. Tragically, we are seeing the situation worsening. Since late last year, we and others have been expressing this concern about the real risk of the conflict spreading. We are now seeing that come to pass. We unequivocally condemn the actions of Iran and Hezbollah. Iran must cease its destabilising actions, including through its terrorist proxies. Amid their attacks on Israel, Australia steadfastly maintains support for Israel’s right to defend itself. We always have, and we always will. We repeat our call for all sides to observe international law.
It is important to recognise that the loss and grief of this past year have been deeply felt here in Australia. Sorrow knows no boundaries. It recognises no differences. Since the atrocities of October 7, Jewish Australians have felt the shadows of the past creeping into the present. We condemn the poison of antisemitism in whatever form it takes.
This is a pain the Jewish people should never have had to endure again. The Holocaust is not softened by the passingof time. It doesn’t recede into history. It does not offer one the slender comfort of distance. Our Jewish-Australian community is made up of Holocaust survivors and their children and grandchildren, including, of course, our Attorney-General here in this parliament. The branches of their family trees are heavy with loss and suffering and with acts of survival in the face of overwhelming odds. It is shocking and wrong that in 2024 Jewish people are having to draw on their courage and their resilience again. I want to repeat the message that I have given to all Jewish Australians since the outset: You are not alone; your fellow Australians stand with you. Our social cohesion has been built over the course of generations by people of all backgrounds and from every faith and tradition. All of us take pride in it and all of us must work together to protect it.
This parliament gives all of us a national platform and a national duty to send a message to every Australian: You have the right to be proud of you are; the right to feel safe in your community, whether you wear a yarmulke or a hijab; the right to feel free to live the truth of your faith; and the mere act of your children walking freely to school should just be a regular part of daily life, unremarkable in its happiness. Every time parliament rises and we return to our electorates across this great continent of ours, we can travel along the streets and see synagogues. We can see mosques. We can see churches and temples. As a country and as a people, we’re big enough to contain them all, and we’re enriched by them all.
Each and every one of us has a responsibility to prevent conflict in the Middle East from being used as a platform for prejudice at home. I want to be clear to anyone who thinks about taking a Hamas or Hezbollah flag to a protest: these symbols are not acceptable. They are symbols of terror. They are illegal, and they will not be tolerated here. Hamas and Hezbollah serve no cause but terror. They have shown themselves to be the enemy of the very people they purport to represent, and we unequivocally condemn any indication of support for such organisations.
Today, as we remember those who were lost, we stand with all those who wait. We stand with all those who endure loss. We stand with all those who endure hope. Let us stand together as a nation and as a parliament in our shared determination to preserve the harmony that makes this the greatest country in the world, knowing in our shared commitment to a just and lasting peace that the truest act of strength is to protect the innocent. That is the truth we must hold on to—the truth of a shared humanity, the hope that peace is possible and the belief that it belongs to all people. To quote the great Dr Martin Luther King:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I commend the resolution to the House.
