Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has slammed Anthony Albanese for ‘trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth’ in the wording of an October 7 massacre condolence motion.
The Prime Minister opened Parliament on Tuesday by introducing a motion to condemn Hamas‘ October 7 attack on Israel, paying tribute to ‘every single innocent life’ in the violence.
‘Our government has consistently and repeatedly called for a ceasefire for the release of all hostages and for the protection of all civilians,’ he said.
‘We remain committed to a two state solution as a path to an enduring peace, two states, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully side by side with prosperity and security for their people.’
However, in a scathing speech – and a noticeable break from the bipartisanship around these issues – Mr Dutton refused to back the motion.
Mr Dutton accused Mr Albanese of putting forward a motion which also recognised Palestinians, rather than solely focusing on the anniversary of 1200 Israeli deaths at the hands of terrorists.
He told the House of Representatives that it was clear he could not support the motion on Tuesday morning, after he met with Mr Albanese.
During Question Time, Mr Dutton asked Mr Albanese whether he agreed that the Greens had made racist and antisemitic comments since the October 7 attack. He was then asked to rephrase the question.
Anthony Albanese is pictured, centre, at an October 7 event in Melbourne on Monday
Peter Dutton is pictured in the House of Representatives on Tuesday
‘Regrettably, we’ve not been able to arrive at a position of bipartisanship in relation to this matter,’ he said.
‘I think when you go to the detail of what the Prime Minister’s proposed, it becomes clearer why the coalition cannot support this motion before the house at the moment.
‘This government has sought to walk both sides of the street … The Prime Minister should be condemned.’
Mr Dutton said the motion goes beyond what should have a tribute to the 1,200 Israelis who died on October 7.
He continued: ‘That’s what this motion was to be about, but of course the Prime Minister is trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth, and that is not something that we will support in relation to this debate.’
The motion was supported in a vote with 85 votes to 54.
During Question Time on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Dutton took aim at the Greens – which has tirelessly campaigned against Israel’s attacks on Palestine.
He asked: ‘Does the Prime Minister agree the Australian Greens have been racist and anti-Semitic in the October they’ve adopted since October 2023?’
Speaker Milton Dick said the question was an opinion and asked the Opposition Leader to rephrase.
Dutton then asked: ‘I refer to previous statements of the Prime Minister where he’s been critical of the Greens political party and their stance which has been racist and anti-Semitic that has been adopted since 7 October, 2023.
‘Does the Prime Minister still have that view?’
Mr Albanese was allowed to give a broad answer. He said: ‘There have been moments of anti-Semitism and racism in some of the responses that we have seen in the political debate taking place here in Australia.
Some people held signs saying ‘Shame on you Albo’ (pictured) and accusing the PM of not supporting Israel
‘I have been critical of the stance that the Greens political party have made.
‘I would always be a member of a political party that’s a party of government rather than a party of protest. But I wouldn’t want to suggest that every member in my electorate or in other places as well has engaged in that.’
Mr Dutton and Mr Albanese were invited to October 7 memorial events on Monday, but they had very different receptions.
The PM walked through the crowds in Melbourne alongside rabbi Gabi Kaltmann – some greeted him, while others shouted ‘shame’ and accused him of attending the event for a photo opportunity. He didn’t speak at the event.
Meanwhile, in Sydney, Mr Dutton addressed a 12,000 crowd at a commemoration organised by the Zionist Council of NSW and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies in Sydney’s east.
He was loudly cheered as he denounced anti-Semitism directed toward Jewish people since the ‘horrors and heartbreak’ of the attack.
‘That day of depravity, the greatest loss of Jewish life on a single day since the Holocaust, awoke and exposed an anti-Semitic rot afflicting western democracies,’ he said.
Mr Dutton said the past year had been the ‘most shocking period of our country in my lifetime’.
The events were to commemorate the 1,200 Israelis murdered by terrorists and the 251 hostages who were taken – 97 of whom are still unaccounted for.
Labor could lose seats in western Sydney at the 2025 election due to the rise of the ‘Muslim Votes Matter’ group.
Peter Dutton addressed a 12,000-strong crowd at a commemoration organised by the Zionist Council of NSW and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
MVM has already identified 32 seats with high populations of Muslim-identifying voters.
They include electorates help by high-profile ministers like Education Minister Jason Clare’s southwestern Sydney seat of Blaxland and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s neighbouring seat of Watson.
Mr Burke’s seat is already facing a challenge by local doctor Ziad Basyouny, who is running on a platform championing his high-migrant community, and greater Palestinian recognition.
He has not been endorsed by MVM, who say they will assess his credentials alongside other candidates once nominations close.
Until the election is called, MVM’s two priorities are awareness and education, and addressing voter apathy in the community.