Wary of a shift in international sentiment as well as pressure from his party, Albanese remains all talk and no action on Israel, says Senator David Shoebridge.
When the Prime Minister dismissed calls for sanctions against Israel as “slogans” this week, I felt the full weight of two years of government inaction crushing down on the hopes of millions of Australians demanding justice for Palestine. As the Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, I’ve watched this Labor government repeatedly choose comfortable rhetoric over the hard decisions that international law and basic human decency demand.
The Prime Minister’s response isn’t just inadequate—it’s projection of the highest order. Here’s a leader whose government has offered nothing but empty statements and shallow diplomacy for two years, now calling concrete policy proposals “slogans.” The irony would be laughable if the stakes weren’t so devastatingly high. Children are dying in Gaza while our Prime Minister plays word games.
We know what would work. It’s to apply the existing model from Russia sanctions for its illegal war to Israel for its illegal actions in Gaza. That would have an immediate, substantial impact. It would halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts that enable Israeli bombing campaigns and prevent the import of $2B worth of Israeli weapons. These aren’t abstract gestures; they’re concrete measures that would
materially constrain Israel’s capacity to continue its devastating assault on Gaza.
For two years, I’ve stood in Parliament and told this government they need to stop exporting goods that facilitate the illegal occupation of the West Bank and the ongoing destruction in Gaza. For two years, they’ve ignored these calls, choosing instead to issue statements that change nothing on the ground. The Palestinian death toll climbs while our government fiddles with diplomatic language.
Glaring double standards on Gaza v Russia and Ukraine
The precedent for action couldn’t be clearer. When Russia illegally occupied Ukraine and committed war crimes, Australia responded with comprehensive sanctions without hesitation. The illegal occupation of Palestinian territories predates Ukraine by decades, and the documented war crimes in Gaza are undeniable.
I’ve watched public demonstrations fill our cities, month after month, as Australians from every corner of the continent demand their government match actions to values. I’ve received thousands of letters and emails from constituents across the political spectrum—teachers, nurses, students, retirees, farmers, small business owners—all asking the same question: why won’t Australia act?
These aren’t fringe voices. In regional NSW, I’ve seen packed town halls where locals, who’ve never attended a political meeting before, stand up to demand sanctions. First Nations communities have drawn powerful parallels between their own dispossession and what’s happening to Palestinians. Trade unions representing millions of workers have passed motions supporting sanctions. Even Labor Party branches across the nation have shown leadership on this.
Our international reputation suffers with every day of inaction. While South Africa courageously leads genocide proceedings at the International Court of Justice and European nations implement arms embargoes, Australia clings to tepid diplomacy. We’re becoming known,
not as a nation that stands against injustice, but as one that enables it through deliberate inaction.
We need politics with heart—politics that responds to human suffering with human compassion, not cold calculations about political messaging, electoral advantage or diplomatic convenience. Every day we delay implementing sanctions is another day we’re complicit in the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza. The children of Gaza cannot eat diplomatic statements or find shelter in parliamentary rhetoric.
Australians care about this. They know peace with justice is both necessary and possible. We stand with them.
David is an Australian Senator for the Greens. His focus is on matters of high public interest including Defence, legal affairs, social justice and political integrity. He was a previously a member of NSW Parliament.