Greens Explain Absence From Vote on Oct. 7 Condolence Motion

Labor Minister Katie Gallagher said the aim of the motion as to unite the country rather than allowing social divisions to play out.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt speaks during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on March 30, 2023. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

A day after the Greens were notably absent when the federal lower house voted on a condolence motion on Oct. 7, Greens leader Adam Bandt tried to explain his party’s position.

“From our view, we couldn’t support a motion that talked about the events of Oct. 7 without also recognising that the extremist [Israeli] Netanyahu government has been found to be committing war crimes, and that there is an unfolding genocide,” said the federal MP for Melbourne.

He said the Greens supported mourning the “cycle of violence” before and after the attacks, just not the Oct. 7 incident itself.

Despite criticism from the Coalition, Australia’s lower house passed the condolence motion for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, with 85 MPs voting in favour. The motion was backed by independent MPs, including the “teals.”

Labor Finance Minister Katie Gallagher explained the government’s position, saying their aim was to unite the country, rather than allowing social divisions to play out.

“On one side, we have the opposition with a particular view, and on the other, we have the Greens with the opposite view.

“In the middle, the government is absolutely condemning Hamas and the atrocities of Oct. 7. We are calling for the release of hostages, while also recognising the significant loss of Palestinian lives and calling for a ceasefire,” she said.

Opposition Says Motion Too Broad

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton objected to including Palestinian and Lebanese victims in the condolence motion, insisting it should have focused exclusively on the Israeli communit—notably the 1,200 Israeli lives lost in the surprise Hamas attacks.

“This was meant to commemorate the loss of human life, but the prime minister is attempting to cater to both sides, which we cannot support,” Dutton stated.

He also described the motion as an extension of how Albanese has handled the broader Israel-Palestine conflict over the past year.

The motion that eventually passed in Parliament not only condemned the attack on Israel but also mourned the loss of innocent civilians, including Palestinian lives, and acknowledged the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Albanese reiterated Australia’s longstanding position on protecting civilian life in accordance with international law and recognised the devastation caused by the conflict.

The Labor government has been caught in a politically difficult situation trying to balance the interests of its western Sydney electorates—which have a higher Muslim population—and aligning with broader international condemnation of Hamas and Hezbollah.