Israel

David Shoebridge

I seek leave to move a motion relating to military equipment trade with Israel, as circulated.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in the name of Senator Waters, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Senator Waters moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to military equipment trade with Israel.

This motion is asking the Senate to call on the government to immediately end all trade of military equipment with the State of Israel. If you want to know why this is urgent, it's because more than 30,000 Palestinians have already lost their lives, the majority being women and children, and this government is content for ongoing two-way trade, military trade, with the State of Israel. It is content to send weapons and weapons parts to Israel to literally fuel the genocide, and then, perhaps as offensively, it also welcomes signing new contracts with major Israeli arms manufacturers for equipment that is literally being tested on the Palestinian people as we speak.

The Albanese government has just signed a contract of $917 million of public money with Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems for the Redback integrated turret, which, in the spin of the defence industry, is:

… based on the latest generation of Elbit's 30 mm manned turret with the COAPS gunner sight, additional electro-optical systems, Iron Fist active protection system, Elbit's Iron-Vision advanced situational awareness head mounted display system and Elbit's ELAWS laser warning system—

all weapon systems that Elbit is currently using to kill Palestinian people, to kill Palestinian kids and to kill Palestinian women. The Albanese government looked around the world and said, 'Yes, we want a bit of that,' and they've agreed to a $917 million contract with Elbit Systems for that. It is obscene that Australia is seeking to provide so much wealth to a company that is currently making record profits from the weapons it's literally testing on the Palestinian people—utterly obscene.

Where is it being used? We know it's being used, because the IDF posted images of it. It's used on the Eitan wheeled armoured personnel carrier, which literally went in on day 1 of the invasion of Gaza—the first time it was used by the Israeli military. The Israeli military celebrated how this Eitan eight-wheeled vehicle is going to be featuring for the first time, they said, this Elbit's Iron Fist active protection system—designed by Elbit, sold to Australia and bought by the Albanese Labor government—with target detection radar and launcher countermeasures. How are we possibly a part of this trade? How could the Albanese government possibly be thinking that the two-way military trade with Israel should ever be a part of the Australian public spend?

It's not just this one weapons system with Elbit. The Israeli defence industry—Rafael—has signed agreements with the Albanese government. You can see pictures of Albanese ministers going to the factories that they've got in Australia—for example, Varley Rafael at Tomago in the Hunter. You can see Albanese Labor ministers there celebrating the fact that the Albanese Labor government has signed contracts with Rafael to produce the spike missile here. The control systems for the spike missile used by the ADF are manufactured in New South Wales. Just to be clear: the spike missile is again being experimented with on Palestinian people, and it's an obscene weapon. It's designed to punch through the reinforced concrete walls of apartment buildings in Palestine and, when they punch through the wall, to release a cloud of lethal shrapnel to kill everything within a 20-metre radius. Not only is the Albanese government buying more of those missiles that have been experimented with on the Palestinian people but it has also entered into joint manufacturing contracts—again, with tens and tens and tens of millions of dollars of public money. We must stop the two-way military trade with Israel. We must not be complicit in the genocide. The Australian people deserve a far more ethical government than the Albanese Labor government.

Tim Ayres

The proposition that is being advanced this morning by Senator Shoebridge so lacks honesty, so lacks seriousness and so lacks morality. It's the petard upon which Senator Shoebridge hoists himself every day. If you're going to be serious, if you're going to have morality and if you're going to have honesty, do you know what you have to do? You have to tell the truth. You have to have some regard for the facts. You have to have some moral seriousness about the position that you advance, and this political party has never been a serious partner for this government on the most serious international issues.

This proposition that has been advanced is so shallow and so dishonest, and it is designed to achieve only one thing: to dishonestly stoke division in the Australian community. That is what it is for. That is why there are thousands of antisemitic memes being circulated in the Australian community. It's because this show that purports to be a political party advances the kinds of propositions that they do. It's not much better on the other side of the chamber, on the other side of the argument—advancing propositions that are extremist, that use hyperbole and that use words that are designed to divide.

One of the reasons that we know that this is the case in terms of the proposition that has been advanced is that the situation has been explained to Senator Shoebridge so many times by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in estimates and in here. Evidence has been provided by defence officials over and over and over again. If you just choose to ignore the facts and promulgate a false narrative on this story, all you are about is promoting division—

A little bit of shoosh from you down there, son—a little bit of shoosh.

Penny Allman-Payne

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Shoebridge, order! Minister.

Tim Ayres

It's like a behavioural disorder, honestly! Unable to be quiet. We sat quietly while you—

Penny Allman-Payne

I suspect that the procedural—

Tim Ayres

I withdraw.

Penny Allman-Payne

Thank you, and please remember to direct your remarks through the chair.

Tim Ayres

I want to reiterate, Chair, what the government has made clear all through this process. Australia has not supplied weapons to Israel since the conflict began and for at least the past five years. So why is—

David Shoebridge

You're a pathological liar!

Penny Allman-Payne

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Shoebridge, it would assist the chamber if you could withdraw that remark.

David Shoebridge

I withdraw the remark.

Penny Allman-Payne

Thank you.

Anne Urquhart

Point of order: I would also ask Senator Steele-John to withdraw the comment that he made, and I would ask them to cease interjecting. We listened to them and their contribution and I expect them to show the minister the same courtesy.

Penny Allman-Payne

Senator Steele-John?

Jordon Steele-John

I'm happy to withdraw for the facilitation of the chamber, but I'm not actually sure which comment you're referring to.

Okay. I withdraw.

Penny Allman-Payne

Just before you begin, Minister, I am going to request that we listen to the minister in silence. Minister.

Tim Ayres

Australia has a stringent export control framework. It is designed to ensure that military and dual-use items that are exported from Australia are used responsibly. No arms have been supplied to Israel over the course of the last five years. The Deputy Prime Minister said, 'Australia's defence export control regime is one which is thorough and detailed as it applies to defence exports or dual-use items to anywhere in the world.' This position that's been advanced, once again, is not a serious position. It's on that basis that I move:

That the question be now put.

Penny Allman-Payne

The question before the chamber is that the motion be put.