Portfolio — 2 April 2026

The Assistant Minister for Immigration and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Thistlethwaite, used a ministerial media release on 2 April to signal Australia's opposition to Israel's Knesset legislation expanding the use of capital punishment [TA-260402-dfat-2c90cce793f1]. Acting in his capacity as Australia's Special Envoy for International Human Rights, Mr Thistlethwaite stated that Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and for all people — a formulation that leaves no room for case-by-case qualification [TA-260402-dfat-2c90cce793f1].

The statement was issued as part of a coordinated five-nation response: the Foreign Ministers of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom jointly characterised the death penalty as an inhumane and degrading punishment with no deterrent effect, signalling that Australia's objection is embedded in a multilateral diplomatic posture rather than a bilateral one [TA-260402-dfat-2c90cce793f1].

Mr Thistlethwaite urged the Israeli Government to reconsider the legislation on grounds that it is inconsistent with the protection of human dignity and risks undermining democratic principles and the rule of law — framing that reaches beyond humanitarian objection into a wider argument about democratic governance and institutional legitimacy. The release is the only source record in today's window; no parliamentary contribution from Mr Thistlethwaite is recorded for this date.