Birmingham critical of reported meeting with Israeli ambassador on LebanonShadow foreign minister Simon Birmingham has responded to Australia calling in the Israeli ambassador to say that Israel could not count on Australia’s support if it went to war in Southern Lebanon.Assistant foreign minister Tim Watts delivered the message. Birmingham:
It would be an outrageous abandonment of a democratic friend and partner if the Albanese government is telling Israel not to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia which repeatedly ignores previous undertakings by indiscriminately firing rockets aiming to kill Israelis and displacing thousands from their homes.
We do not wish to see any spreading of the current war in Gaza but the pressure needs to be on Hezbollah to stop their attacks while maintaining support for Israel’s inherent right to self defence.
The Albanese government needs to come clean on the status of its support for Israel, which has repeatedly shifted and weakened despite terrorist groups still holding Israeli hostages, and seeking the destruction of Israel.
If this meeting did take place as reported then Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong need to explain why they didn’t front up to tell Israel themselves and why they’re hiding the true extent of their abandonment of Israel from Australians.
From what we understood was said, there is no indication Australia told Israel it did not have the right to defend itself. Australia’s established position, which has been said publicly by Penny Wong, is that Australia is concerned about escalations in the region.ShareUpdated at 19.06 EDTKey eventsGuardian Australia’s Paul Karp highly commended at midwinter ballBack to the Midwinter Ball – a very big congratulations to our very own Paul Karp who was highly commended by the judges for his reporting on NZYQ and the ongoing ramifications.The judges “noted his factual and clean style of writing was as good as you will see in a digital print version. Karp produced a string of exclusive stories that were balanced and mature, demonstrating Karp’s very high calibre as a journalist in the federal parliamentary press gallery.They don’t always include a highly commended as part of the press gallery journalist of the year, so it is a notable achievement.The Nine network’s Andrew Probyn was awarded the press gallery journalist of the year for the third time (which I believe is a record) with the judges, Gillian Bradfield, Chris Uhlmann and Jessica Marszalek saying:
Andrew demonstrates a mastery of his craft. His news scoops weren’t handed to him on a plate and his body of work was broad and agenda setting. His 60 minutes story on the Taipan helicopter crash also showed his tenacity and ability to report with sensitivity.
He’s both a news breaker and a sharp analyst of Australian politics.
ShareUpdated at 19.10 EDTStrange – mine was screaming into the abyss vibes.(For those who don’t have the music streaming app Spotify, the app creates “daylist” playlists for you, based on your music choices and gives them fairly unhinged names. Real world examples include: overthinking downtown vibes, obsessed emotional Monday morning.)ShareUpdated at 18.50 EDTBirmingham critical of reported meeting with Israeli ambassador on LebanonShadow foreign minister Simon Birmingham has responded to Australia calling in the Israeli ambassador to say that Israel could not count on Australia’s support if it went to war in Southern Lebanon.Assistant foreign minister Tim Watts delivered the message. Birmingham:
It would be an outrageous abandonment of a democratic friend and partner if the Albanese government is telling Israel not to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia which repeatedly ignores previous undertakings by indiscriminately firing rockets aiming to kill Israelis and displacing thousands from their homes.
We do not wish to see any spreading of the current war in Gaza but the pressure needs to be on Hezbollah to stop their attacks while maintaining support for Israel’s inherent right to self defence.
The Albanese government needs to come clean on the status of its support for Israel, which has repeatedly shifted and weakened despite terrorist groups still holding Israeli hostages, and seeking the destruction of Israel.
If this meeting did take place as reported then Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong need to explain why they didn’t front up to tell Israel themselves and why they’re hiding the true extent of their abandonment of Israel from Australians.
From what we understood was said, there is no indication Australia told Israel it did not have the right to defend itself. Australia’s established position, which has been said publicly by Penny Wong, is that Australia is concerned about escalations in the region.ShareUpdated at 19.06 EDTAdam MortonPlibersek uses environmental law’s ‘water trigger’ on SA coal gasification project(continued from previous post)The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has now used the trigger (for a federal assessment on a project’s effect on water resources) for the first time, calling in a proposed underground coal gasification project in South Australia. The company behind the proposal, Leigh Creek Operations Pty Ltd, had opposed the project being federally assessed.Plibersek said:
I will not hesitate to apply the expanded water trigger wherever and whenever appropriate.
The minister is yet to say whether she will call in a contentious fracking pilot project in the NT’s Beetaloo gas basin proposed by Tamboran Resources.ShareUpdated at 18.32 EDTNational environmental protection body laws pass the HouseAdam MortonIt hasn’t dominated the political conversation, but environment law – and changes to it – has been getting attention in Canberra this week.On Wednesday, the House of Representatives debated legislation to create Environment Protection Australia – a national EPA – and a second body, Environment Information Australia.The Albanese government has not accept most amendments put forward by frustrated cross bench MPs, several of whom pointed out the EPA was supposed to accompany a complete overhaul or replacement of the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.That legislative rewrite has now been rebadged as the third stage of the government’s “nature positive” law reform and has been delayed, possibly until after the next election.The EPA and Environment Information Australia is now described as the second stage. They are expected to come before the Senate after the winter break.The first stage, which passed parliament late last year in a deal with the Greens, expanded what is known as the water trigger so that unconventional gas fracking projects that could affect water resources had to be assessed under national law.(continued in next post)ShareUpdated at 18.39 EDTDutton’s midwinter ball speech: Rudd in the crosshairsPeter Dutton’s speech was a bit more personal, we are told, and he continued making some personal attacks against some established targets in the political sphere.He also brought up Julian Assange and made a joke about how Kevin Rudd just happened to be taking a morning stroll in the Northern Mariana islands (where Assange’s US District court hearing was held).Dutton suggested Rudd was trying to push Stephen Smith out of the camera shots and rattled off Rudd’s potential new calling card: Kevin from Queensland, Kevin from Washington and Kevin from Saipan; here to help.ShareUpdated at 18.28 EDTAnthony Albanese’s midwinter ball speech: the phone call with AssangeAnthony Albanese’s speech mentioned his phone call with Julian Assange, which occurred the moment Assange touched down in Canberra last week. It was pre-arranged that Albanese would be the first person to speak to Assange as he arrived in Australia, and the phone call was heavily criticised by the opposition, who claimed it undermined the Australia-US alliance (it did not).Albanese told the ball that Assange had told him the experience was long and he wondered if it would ever end.Albanese quipped that happily, though, Assange’s flight with Kevin Rudd and Stephen Smith did come to an end.
As if he hasn’t suffered enough!
ShareUpdated at 18.33 EDTAmy RemeikisAmy’s on: last night’s midwinter ball (the political side)After all that, the MPs headed to the midwinter ball.The ball is hosted by the press gallery and is invite only, so MPs need to have a media organisation, or an organisation that has been able to purchase tickets, invite them to sit on their table. It all goes to charity.The press gallery journalist of the year is crowned and the leaders of both parties give a speech towards the end of the night, which is meant to be a bit jokey in style (you may remember reports of Malcolm Turnbull doing an impression of then-US president Donald Trump); the entertainment comes on and about an hour later everyone is kicked out.The event is off the record, and people who attend undertake that they won’t be reporting on what is said in the room. There has been growing discomfort over the ball, given the gallery is meant to hold the people they are reporting on to account.I do not attend. I have been in previous years when I first started in the gallery and very quickly came to the conclusion I prefer the [former nine political editor] Laurie Oakes school of thought – don’t attend and keep reporting.It is rare that anything truly newsworthy occurs, but I’ll drop in a run down of what I have learned.ShareUpdated at 18.19 EDTGovernment motion on Palestine passes despite Greens and Coalition opposition to specificsThe government’s numbers passed the motion, while the Greens and Coalition voted against it.Labor MPs immediately launched into a social media blitz about how the Greens had voted with the opposition.The Greens have just teamed up with the Liberals to vote against a motion to recognise the State of Palestine as part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution and a just and enduring peace. pic.twitter.com/RHIRcBLZ5E— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) July 3, 2024Max Chandler-Mather responded:Don’t let Labor lie to you. “Recognising Palestine as part of a peace process” is not recognising Palestine. It is weasel words to avoid doing what at least 146 other countries have already done: Immediately recognise Palestine without conditions.— Max Chandler-Mather (@MChandlerMather) July 3, 2024

ShareUpdated at 18.40 EDTAllegra Spender has concerns Labor motion on Palestine ‘not actually achiving anything’Wentworth independent Allegra Spender said she supported a two-state solution, but did not support the motion.
What I am concerned about in this motion and in every motion that we have had on this issue in the House is that we are not actually achieving anything in terms of the difference it will make to the people in the conflict right now, when we all desperately want the UN-endorsed security council’s peace resolution and for parties to come to that agreement.
That is what I am seeking right now, that’s what I care about, and I’m concerned this motion does nothing to that. All it does is tear our community even further apart.
… It is tearing my community apart. They feel very, very strongly and are desperately concerned. I am concerned that this just inflames tension without adding anything to what we are really all seeking, which is actually a long and standing peace.
I want to speak for my community, who are desperately saddened and appalled by what has happened overseas but are also extremely concerned about what is happening here. Once again, I just worry that we continue to inflame this in this place.
We do not unite or move forward, and I do not support what the Greens have been saying at all throughout this time, but I think there was an opportunity for the rest of the parliament to unite on something that was appropriate.
ShareUpdated at 18.09 EDTMax Chandler-Mather: Senator Payman has faced more sanctions from Labor than IsraelMax Chandler-Mather continued:
And how is it that when a Labor senator, Senator Payman, who had the principles and the courage to cross the floor to vote with the Greens to immediately recognise Palestine, faces more sanctions than Labor has dished out against Israel?
That is remarkable.
I think what today is about is that Senator Payman has demonstrated the political cowardice in this place from Labor members.
How is it that Senator Payman had the courage to cross the floor and vote to immediately recognise Palestine but no member of Labor in this place has the guts to do that?
That is what people will remember in 10 or 20 years’ time when asked the question: what did members in this please do when Israel was carrying out a massacre in Gaza? Let’s be clear about this. The UN has found that Israel is carrying out war crimes.
The UN has put Israel on a blacklist of countries that kill children, in this case Palestinian children. The government all of a sudden apparently care. They are not doing anything about politics and say this is above politics. If it was above politics they would take material action right now to put pressure on Israel to stop.
ShareUpdated at 18.05 EDTGreens MP on Labor motion on Palestine: ‘What peace process?’Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather spoke immediately after Josh Burns on the same motion. He said the government had failed to take actions against Israel, but had the power to do so.
It could sanction Israel. Why is it this government could sanction Russia for the war crimes carried out by Russia but refuses to sanction Israel?
They could expel the Israeli ambassador. Let’s be very clear about this. If the government were true to their word and cared about the Palestinian people they would take actions against Israel to stop the genocide and the invasion. That is what they would do.
Let’s be very, very clear about this. Every time Israel [carries] out a massacre, every time Israel kills Palestinian men, women and children and look around the world it does not receive a single sanction to stop. They are emboldened and they keep acting.
‘As part of a peace process’, this motion is a joke. What peace process? Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. It is not a peace process. Why is it 146 countries could find it in their hearts to recognise Palestine right now?
Why is it the Australian government refuses?
ShareUpdated at 18.04 EDT