The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) condemns the Albanese Government’s decision to vote against the Red Lines legislation, choosing to preserve a system that leaves Australia exposed to complicity in genocide, war crimes and other serious violations of international law.
The four bills, backed by a wide coalition of human rights and civil society organisations, are designed to ensure Australia does not arm, fund, invest in or trade in ways that contribute to genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or illegal occupation anywhere in the world. They seek to translate Australia’s international legal obligations into practical safeguards in Australian law.
Yet Labor is not prepared even to let a Senate committee examine them, hear expert evidence, identify concerns and consider amendments.
This is not a demand that Labor support every provision of the package. A Senate inquiry is the place to test legislation. If there are problems, put them on the table. If provisions need changing, change them. But shutting down scrutiny altogether denies Parliament and the Australian public the opportunity to properly examine what Australia should be doing to prevent complicity in the gravest breaches of international law.
APAN Vice President Hiba Farra said:
‘Labor had the opportunity today to draw a line against genocide. It chose not to.
“Labor is joining the Coalition to shut this down before the evidence can even be heard. That is shameful.
“These bills draw the most basic of red lines: Australian weapons, Australian money and Australian trade should never contribute to genocide, war crimes or illegal occupation.
“Today, the ALP and Coalition have voted in favour of the Palestinian genocide and trashed it’s commitment to human rights and international law.”.
“If Labor has concerns with the legislation, put them to an inquiry. Hear the experts. Hear affected communities. Test the bills and improve them. But refusing even that scrutiny sends a deeply disturbing message about how far the Government is prepared to go when international law requires more than statements and expressions of concern.
“Palestinians have watched war crimes after war crimes in an ongoing genocide while governments invoke international law but resist measures that would give those obligations real force.
“Australia cannot continue to speak about preventing genocide and upholding international law while refusing even to examine legislation intended to ensure Australian weapons, money and commerce are not implicated in those very crimes.
“If the Government believes in the international legal principles it repeatedly invokes, there should be nothing to fear from putting these bills under proper parliamentary scrutiny.”
“The government claims to be committed to its obligations under international law, today was the test of its commitment “
APAN condemns Labor for joining with the Coalition to kill the inquiry before it can even begin. Faced with an opportunity to scrutinise Australia’s potential complicity in genocide and other grave violations of international law, Labor has chosen instead to shut down scrutiny and shield the status quo.
The Government today had an opportunity to demonstrate that its commitment to international law applies consistently, including when the conduct of a close partner or ally is involved.
Instead, Labor chose the status quo.
For Palestinians, that status quo has meant Australian words of concern alongside ongoing defence, trade and investment relationships, while Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the illegal occupation of Palestine continue.
Red Lines offers Australia another path: clear rules, applied consistently, that ensure Australian governments, institutions and businesses do not contribute to the world’s gravest international crimes.
APAN will continue to campaign for those safeguards to become Australian law.
Genocide must be a red line. Complicity must have consequences.
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