Opposition leader Peter Dutton has accused Anthony Albanese of trying to “speak out of both sides of his mouth” on the Israel-Gaza conflict as the Coalition rejected his motion condemning Hamas’ October 7 attack.
In extraordinary scenes in Parliament House, Mr Albanese’s attempt to secure bi-partisan support for the motion failed amid a dispute with the Coalition over the proposed wording.
Mr Dutton said he had written to Mr Albanese on Saturday, seeking a bi-partisan position from the major parties on a motion specifically about the October 7 massacre.
But Mr Dutton said Mr Albanese sought to expand to motion, including reiterating the Government’s support for a ceasefire and lasting peace and security in the region.
“The Prime Minister is trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth, and that is not something that we will support,” Mr Dutton said.
“There’s been a position of bipartisanship on these issues, and your (Labor) predecessors would have had the decency to respect the Jewish community in a way you have not done today.
“And for that Prime Minister, you should stand condemned. We have put to this Prime Minister a more than reasonable position, and the Prime Minister has rejected that position for his own political domestic advancement, and that has been recognized by millions of Australians.”
Earlier, Mr Albanese used his speech on the motion to “unequivocally condemn the actions of Hamas” while also declaring that “every innocent life matters”.
“This Parliament comes together once again to unequivocally condemn the actions of Hamas,” Mr Albanese said.
“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 all who have had them stolen since.
“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 that are not only enemies of Israel, they are an enemy of the Palestinian people as well.”
More to come.
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