The first sitting day of Parliament saw division over a federal opposition motion to congratulate the United States and Israel for their strikes on Iran
The motion, moved by Liberal Party Senate leader Michaelia Cash, called on the Senate to commend Washington and Tel Aviv for what it described as sustained efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Cash said the motion also acknowledged the long-standing threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs to regional security.
It also reaffirmed Australia’s rejection of any future Iranian nuclear capability, and condemned the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for sponsoring terrorism—including anti-Semitic attacks on Australian soil.
The motion also denounced Tehran’s backing of proxy militant groups, while also deploring recent Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gulf states in response to the U.S.-Israel strikes.
One clause welcomed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Government Pushes Back, Tries to Remove Reference to Trump
The Albanese government objected not only to the tone of the motion but also to the way it was introduced, arguing the Coalition gave just five minutes’ notice before the Senate session.Foreign Minister Penny Wong said if the opposition was “serious” about passing the motion, it would have consulted with Labor beforehand.
“I would have been open to a sensible debate about the national in the national interest, but no instead, you work with the Australian Greens for this stunt, and in order to take up time on closing the gap,” Wong said.
The motion was brought on by suspending standing orders, displacing the scheduled debate on the Closing the Gap report.
“We’re not focused on the politics of this issue, we’re focused on the 115,000 Australians who are in the region,” she said, referring to Australian citizens in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the weekend already publicly backed the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran saying the now-deceased Ali Khamenei would “not be mourned.”
Labor moved to amend the motion, stripping out references that “congratulated” U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and removing language welcoming the Ayatollah’s death.
Instead, the government sought to replace it with wording that expressed support for efforts to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, condemned the Iranian regime’s destabilising conduct, stood with Iranian Australians, and called for diplomatic pathways to restore peace and security.
“I’ll leave it for the United States and Israel to speak on the basis, the legal basis for the attacks,” Wong said.
The amendment failed.
In a tactical move, Government Business Manager Katy Gallagher asked for the motion to be divided, allowing senators to vote separately on the opening clause congratulating the U.S. and Israel.
Greens Call on Australia to Withdraw Support Entirely
The Greens sought to rewrite the motion entirely.Their amendment called on Australia to withdraw support for what they labelled Trump and Netanyahu’s “illegal war” and urged the government not to provide any military assistance, including through joint facilities based in Australia.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge accused Labor, the Coalition, and One Nation of acting as the “three war parties.”
He said the major parties had “never seen an attack by Donald Trump, an attack by Benjamin Netanyahu, that they haven’t wanted to back in and support.”
He also spoke of the human cost of the conflict.
“I can tell you that the mums who are pulling their kids out of the rubble that they don’t see freedom. They’re not talking about regime change. They’re grieving about the loss of their kids, their daughters,” he added.
The Greens amendment was defeated, with support only from independent Senators Lidia Thorpe and Fatima Payman.
