STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator McKIM (Tasmania—Australian Greens Whip) (13:46): Australians are speaking out in increasing numbers about the genocide in Gaza—the killing, the starvation, the wanton destruction Israel is inflicting in Palestine. But, instead of listening, Labor and coalition governments are cracking down on Australians who are speaking out against it—silencing, surveilling, tracking down and punishing Australians who object.

Harmless words have been outlawed. Protests have been banned in unconstitutional witch hunts. People's jobs and livelihoods have been destroyed.

This is part of a deliberate, concerted campaign by Labor, by the Liberals, by One Nation, by sections of our media, by the Zionist lobby to undermine democratic rights and our democracy. People protesting the visit of the Israeli president were attacked by police—punched, pepper-sprayed, dragged away while praying—and yet Israeli soldiers were welcomed into Australia with open arms and ran in the Sydney Marathon while being protected by the very same police force that conducted those atrocities.

The hypocrisy absolutely stinks. Here's the uncomfortable truth in today's Australia: there are worse consequences for speaking out against a genocide than there are for participating in one. Labor and the Liberals have picked a side here.

They've aligned with the genocide, and they've aligned against Australians speaking out against that genocide. History will condemn them for that choice.