STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator O'NEILL (New South Wales) (13:58): Last week, the new leader of the Greens political party decided to unilaterally change his party's policy as to effectively abandon Ukraine. In one of his first foreign policy statements, he announced the Greens would no longer support military assistance to Ukraine—not unless Russia gave us permission first. I, the Ukraine-Australian community and many others were horrified to hear this.

Because of his self-imposed mission to replace Labor, Senator Shoebridge has taken to lining up with One Nation. In an Orwellian twist, it's been reported that Senator Shoebridge tried to justify this as having always been his party's position. But we remember the Greens supporting a Senate motion in March 2022 explicitly in favour of military assistance to Ukraine.

You have to wonder whether Senator Shoebridge changed his party's policy back in October 2022, after he wined and dined with the Russian ambassador at a Sydney dinner just one week after Mr Putin issued a nuclear threat against Ukraine. Or has there been a more recent conversion? The Greens's 2025 election platform did not oppose military assistance to Ukraine.

Many Australians have been rightly appalled by the Greens leader's comments and his willingness to abandon Ukraine and diminish its sovereignty. But perhaps Senator Shoebridge can take solace in the ringing endorsement he received yesterday from Simeon Boikov, who's also known as 'Aussie Cossack'. He's a far-right Russian ultranationalist who's been hiding in the Russian consulate in Sydney for a year, evading arrest by Australian authorities.

While Senator Shoebridge and the Greens cosy up to the far right and Mr Putin's cheer squad, Labor, this government, decent Australians and all Australians who stand for peace will stand with Ukraine.