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If the horrors unfolding in Gaza are not a red line for Australia to take stronger action then I don't know what is [View all]
This is by David Pocock, the Independent Senator for.my hometown (Australian Capital Territory) and someone I've been proud to vote for in the last two federal elections.
Everyone knows the Australian government cannot end the war alone, but we do have an important role to play as a middle power, and it must be more than just words
Much has been made this week over Anthony Albanese’s strongest comments yet criticising the Netanyahu government’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza. While welcome, his rhetoric calling this an “outrage”, “unacceptable” and “untenable” feels inadequate in the face of what looks like a genocide unfolding in full view of the world.
These words have not been matched with any new “concrete action” of the kind being called for by what feels like just about everyone, and foreshadowed by three of Australia’s closest allies, the UK, France and Canada. The prime minister hasn’t been able to offer a satisfactory explanation as to why Australia wasn’t a signatory to this stronger statement of intent, choosing to move away from the mantle of middle power leader we’ve worn so proudly in times past.
The time for stronger global action is now. For too long the international community has failed to follow up words of condemnation with action. Palestinian people have been killed in their tens of thousands, two million teeter on the brink of starvation and the Israeli government continues to build new settlements in the West Bank. The pleas for help are becoming ever more desperate, like that of Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, who broke down while addressing the security council over the deaths of children in Gaza.
(Snip)
In June last year I called on the Albanese government to consider targeted sanctions against members of the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Forces. Almost 12 months and tens of thousands more deaths later, those calls continue to grow, including from within Labor’s own ranks.
We should have a consistent, values-based approach to how we respond to war and disasters and how we use our humanitarian program. This includes providing an equitable amount of aid and assistance based on need, not politics. Alongside this Australia must stop exporting weapons or parts of weapons that could be used to kill and injure civilians, and start providing emergency visas to the family members of Australians.
If the horror unfolding in Gaza is not our country’s red line for stronger action then I don’t know what is.
David Pocock is an independent senator in the ACT
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2025/may/30/gaza-horrors-australian-government-action-ntwnfb?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Much has been made this week over Anthony Albanese’s strongest comments yet criticising the Netanyahu government’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza. While welcome, his rhetoric calling this an “outrage”, “unacceptable” and “untenable” feels inadequate in the face of what looks like a genocide unfolding in full view of the world.
These words have not been matched with any new “concrete action” of the kind being called for by what feels like just about everyone, and foreshadowed by three of Australia’s closest allies, the UK, France and Canada. The prime minister hasn’t been able to offer a satisfactory explanation as to why Australia wasn’t a signatory to this stronger statement of intent, choosing to move away from the mantle of middle power leader we’ve worn so proudly in times past.
The time for stronger global action is now. For too long the international community has failed to follow up words of condemnation with action. Palestinian people have been killed in their tens of thousands, two million teeter on the brink of starvation and the Israeli government continues to build new settlements in the West Bank. The pleas for help are becoming ever more desperate, like that of Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, who broke down while addressing the security council over the deaths of children in Gaza.
(Snip)
In June last year I called on the Albanese government to consider targeted sanctions against members of the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Forces. Almost 12 months and tens of thousands more deaths later, those calls continue to grow, including from within Labor’s own ranks.
We should have a consistent, values-based approach to how we respond to war and disasters and how we use our humanitarian program. This includes providing an equitable amount of aid and assistance based on need, not politics. Alongside this Australia must stop exporting weapons or parts of weapons that could be used to kill and injure civilians, and start providing emergency visas to the family members of Australians.
If the horror unfolding in Gaza is not our country’s red line for stronger action then I don’t know what is.
David Pocock is an independent senator in the ACT
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2025/may/30/gaza-horrors-australian-government-action-ntwnfb?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
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