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October 13, 2024
The Coalition has outlined the conditions that would need to be met before it would support a ceasefire deal in the Middle East, acknowledging that its position puts it at odds with Australia's main ally, the United States.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, including recently in a statement he released to mark the first anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks, as has Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, including in a joint statement with Canadian and New Zealand leaders earlier this year.
But Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson told Insiders on Sunday that while a ceasefire was the ultimate goal, he believed it would not be possible until Hamas and Hezbollah were "degraded" and the Israeli hostages that were taken captive on October 7 were freed.
"We ultimately aim to get to ceasefire and, of course, we aim to get to peace," Senator Paterson said.
"But I don't think that that's going to happen unless Israel can successfully remove the very serious and existential problems that it faces."
The government, by contrast, has previously called for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza.
"An immediate ceasefire is needed desperately. Civilians must be protected, and a sustained increase in the flow of assistance throughout Gaza is needed to address the humanitarian situation," read a joint statement issued by Mr Albanese and the prime ministers of Canada and New Zealand in July.
"We fully stand behind the comprehensive ceasefire deal, outlined by President Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council. We call on parties to the conflict to agree to the deal. Any delay will only see more lives lost."
More recently, in a motion to mark the anniversary of the October 7 attacks this week, Mr Albanese moved that the House of Representatives "stresses the need to break the cycle of violence and supports international efforts to de-escalate for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon", as well as condemn the October 7 attacks and call for the "immediate and unconditional" release of all remaining hostages.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton opposed the motion on the grounds that it went beyond acknowledging the impact of the October 7 attacks and he instead attempted to move his own motion which would have expressly stated support for Israel and its "inherent right to defend itself and protect its citizens".
An estimated 1,200 Israelis were killed in the October 7 attack by Hamas, a terrorist organisation, and more than 200 were taken hostage. About 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing war in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
The Coalition has repeatedly attacked Labor for what it claims is a division between the Albanese government and the United States and other key allies when it comes to the conflict.
"The problem here is that the prime minister doesn't have the courage of his own convictions," Senator Paterson said on Sunday.
"He is unwilling to say when he disagrees with the United States and he clearly does disagree with the United States."
When asked whether the Coalition's position on a ceasefire deal put it at odds with the US, Senator Paterson said it "wouldn't be remarkable for an Australian politician to disagree with an American politician".
"Particularly the administration under President Biden and Kamala Harris is a centre-left administration. I'm from a centre-right political party. There will be times that we disagree and mature adults can be open and honest about that," he said.
In the lead-up to the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks, leaders of the G7 — which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada — released a joint statement reiterating their call for "an immediate ceasefire in Gaza", as well as the unconditional release of hostages, an increase in the flow of humanitarian assistance and an end to the conflict.
"We will continue working to set the conditions for a durable peace, leading to a two states solution, where Israel and Palestine coexist side-by-side in peace, with security for both," the statement read.
Senator Paterson said he had travelled to the United States three times over the past year and spoken about the conflict directly with members of the Biden administration, which is gearing up for a presidential election in less than a month.
In a statement following the interview, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Mr Dutton was "so focused on dividing Australians over this conflict that he doesn't realise how isolated his position is".
"We know Mr Dutton is negative about everything but it's pretty extreme to be negative about a ceasefire that saves civilian lives and prevents further disastrous escalation of conflict," she said.
Assistant Minister for Trade Tim Ayers told journalists on Sunday that the government was focused on the Australian national interest rather than "the hyper-partisanship from Peter Dutton and his colleagues".
"We are focused on, number one, securing the safety of Australians in the region, number two, we are focused on promoting the cause of peace and a two-state solution to deliver peace and security," he said.
"We are not a country that is in the Middle East — we are a middle-sized country with a respected voice in the world and we are using that in Australia's interests and in the interests of global peace."
Meanwhile, two government-assisted flights left Lebanon for Cyprus on Sunday, with Senator Wong warning that no further flights were scheduled at this stage due to declining demand.
Across the 16 flights organised by the government that have departed to date, just over half the seats have been filled.
"We strongly urge Australians in Lebanon who want to leave to take the flight offered to them," she said on social media platform X.
"There may not be further opportunities for Australian government flights leaving Lebanon."
About 2,750 Australians and their family members have left Lebanon on government-assisted flights since the cross-border conflict escalated last month.
