Senator Penny Wong – Estimates introductory statement at Prime Minister and Cabinet, referencing Israel and Gaza

photo of Senator Penny Wong
May 28, 2024

The death and destruction in Rafah is horrific. This human suffering is unacceptable. We reiterate to the government of Israel: this cannot continue. We must see an immediate humanitarian ceasefire so that civilians can be protected, and Australia continues to support the work of the United States, Qatar and Egypt to that end. We continue to call for the release of all hostages by Hamas and for Israel to allow aid to flow at scale, as directed by the International Court of Justice.

CHAIR: I welcome Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs, representing the Prime Minister; and Mr Martin Hehir, deputy secretary and chief operating officer, and other officers of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Minister or Mr Hehir, do either of you have opening statements?

Senator Wong: I do. I’d like to make some brief remarks at the outset of these budget estimates. Firstly, on the budget itself, it’s a budget for every Australian from a government working for all Australians, a budget about the two things that have driven the government for the past two years—cost-of-living relief and a future made in Australia. The cost of living is, as the Prime Minister said, the government’s No. 1 priority, and we are delivering a tax cut to every taxpayer and a $300 energy rebate to every household.

We’re continuing to help Australians get the health care they need. The budget contains 29 more free Medicare urgent care clinics, and we’re freezing the cost of PBS medicines. The government is also investing in education, wiping $3 billion from student debt and introducing prac payments for nursing, teaching, midwifery and social-work students.

We also understand Australians need affordable housing and we need to build more homes right across the country. The Homes for Australia Plan the government has announced invests billions to do just that. There has been an increase to fee-free TAFE to train more tradies to build them. So this budget does build on cost-of-living measures the government has already taken, such as cheaper child care, cheaper medicines and fee-free TAFE.

While tackling the challenges of today, we are also focused, as the Prime Minister has said, on setting the country up for success in the long term with a future made in Australia, taking advantage of the transformative opportunities with clean energy and new technology, strengthening our defence industry and capability, and investing in strategic industries. Making more things in Australia will mean creating more secure, well-paid jobs in our suburbs and regions.

I might also briefly add on some issues abroad that the Prime Minister has commented on recently. You may recall that the Prime Minister and I have both said in relation to Rafah that we messaged the Netanyahu government: do not go down this path. The international community has been one on this. What we have seen in the past 24 hours reinforces why we and the international community issued this warning. The death and destruction in Rafah is horrific. This human suffering is unacceptable. We reiterate to the government of Israel: this cannot continue. We must see an immediate humanitarian ceasefire so that civilians can be protected, and Australia continues to support the work of the United States, Qatar and Egypt to that end. We continue to call for the release of all hostages by Hamas and for Israel to allow aid to flow at scale, as directed by the International Court of Justice.

Finally, I want to again extend Australia’s sympathies for our brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea following the devastating landslide, about which the Prime Minister spoke on indulgence in the House today. Australia stands with the people of Papua New Guinea. We grieve with them, we hold out hope for the missing and we wish strength to those who are now desperately searching. We have provided an initial $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance, including emergency relief supplies, logistical support from the Australian Defence Force and expertise on geohazards to inform early recovery efforts. I made clear to my counterpart, and the Prime Minister has made clear to his, that we stand ready to provide additional support at the request of the Papua New Guinean government.

CHAIR: Thank you, Senator Wong. Senator Birmingham.

Link to Parliamentary Hansard