QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (15:04): I thank the member for Mackellar for her question. The deaths of Zomi Frankcom and her six World Central Kitchen colleagues was a tragedy and they should not have occurred. Israel's decision to close their investigation without criminal proceedings is an outrage, and it falls far short of the accountability that we expect and consistently call for on behalf of Australia.

Since the tragic killings, the government have consistently made clear our expectation for transparency and we've pressed for full accountability. We've made this clear through numerous representations to the Israeli government, including from me and the foreign minister. I personally made this clear in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu and in person to Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

The government appointed Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin as special adviser to advise the government and engage with Israel on their investigation. Last year, at the United Nations, Australia and our partners launched the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel, which seeks to honour the courage and kindness of Ms Frankcom and her colleagues. Israel's decision falls far short of the accountability that we expected, despite the admission by Israel that their strikes were the result of serious failures, as confirmed by Special Adviser Binskin.

The foreign minister has called in Israel's ambassador to Australia to strongly register our views, and Australia's ambassador to Israel has done the same. The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Ms Frankcom and her colleagues. As the foreign minister has said, we will be consulting with Ms Frankcom's family before we announce further steps.

Ms Frankcom represented the best of Australia. Her courage deserves to be celebrated and her family deserves justice.