Anthony Albanese demands Israel to stop aid blockade to Gaza, calls for urgent action
In what was his strongest comments to date, Mr Albanese said the conflict had 'stolen far too many innocent lives,' and Israel's actions could no longer be 'defended or ignored'.
'Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored,' he said in a statement issued on Friday.
'We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law.
'This includes allowing the United Nations and NGOs to carry out their lifesaving work safely and without hindrance.
'Any proposals for the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian population must be abandoned.'
In recent days the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has said one in every five children are malnourished, with its frontline health workers surviving on just one small meal a day.
It says more than 6000 aid trucks carrying food and medicine have been blocked from entering Gaza.
World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also described the situation in Gaza as a 'man-made mass starvation,' with the Gaza health ministry stating at least 111 people had died from starvation.
On Friday, the US also confirmed it had withdrawn from the ceasefire talks between Israel in Qatar, with Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff blaming Hamas.
Mr Albanese condemned the 'terror and brutality of Hamas' and reiterated calls for the 'immediate release of the remaining hostages'.
He also confirmed Australia still supported a two-state solution, and was 'proud' to support the modern state of Israel' while also 'recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people'.
'The reason a two state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it,' he said.
'Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally-recognised borders.
'Until that day, every effort must be made here and now to safeguard innocent life and end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza.'
More to come
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
Evolution Mining CEO: Glencore smelter closure threatens green energy goals
A major Australian miner said it was nonsensical for the Albanese government to pursue lofty renewables targets without also stepping in to save Australia's only copper smelter and refinery, given the metal's importance as a supply source for green energy. The Glencore refinery and smelter in Queensland remain on the brink of closure after weeks of warnings from the company and talks with the state and federal governments. That's led to fears of another heavy industry shutdown just months after Labor campaigned on revitalising Australia's manufacturing sector, which is battling high labour and energy costs. The Albanese government is funding the underwriting of an expanded capacity investment scheme, which aims to fast-track the construction of major solar and wind projects to meet its 2030 target of 82 per cent renewables. Evolution Mining chief executive Laurie Conway said if the copper smelter closed, it would never re-open, and Australia would be forever consigned to importing the processed copper needed in big volumes for the energy transition. 'I think the Queensland and federal governments need to really understand that if that smelter closes, it will never reopen,' he said on the opening day of the Diggers & Dealers mining conference in Kalgoorlie. 'Having smelting capacity for a commodity that is going to be critical to the renewable pathway is fundamentally important, and I think the government has a role to play.' Anthony Albanese was given a green light to turbocharge his clean energy revolution, with the Productivity Commission declaring the net-zero transition will cost even more than expected and that greater government intervention, regulation, incentives and carbon pricing are needed to hit Labor's climate targets without crippling the power grid or damaging productivity. Mr Conway said the Queensland government's role was to provide services and support in the region, while the federal government needed to weigh up its responsibilities alongside its renewables targets and support for that industry. 'The more copper that you can process here, (the more it helps) in terms of renewables. You need copper to achieve those targets,' he said. 'If you don't have that capacity ... you are beholden to others.' It is understood Glencore held talks with the Queensland government on Monday but remains at an impasse in Canberra. Swiss-based Glencore is due to release its half-year results on Wednesday and provide an update on the future of the smelter and refinery that are losing about $30m a month. Glencore has said it will make its final decision by the end of September and has offered the federal government a range of assistance options, including handing part ownership to taxpayers. Mr Albanese talked tough on Glencore in parliament last Friday, but acknowledged his government wanted to protect the national interest and jobs in Mt Isa, where the smelter is based. 'Let's be clear about Glencore though. It is a highly profitable company. Just this year they paid $2.2bn in dividends to their shareholders. Australia has been pretty good to Glencore. It's about time that Glencore recognised it needs to be good back to Australia,' he said. Glencore's Mount Isa mining operation, known as MICO, closed last week, leaving it more reliant on supply from small and medium-sized copper mines in the northwest of Queensland. Evolution has a life-of-mine offtake agreement with Glencore covering copper produced from the Ernest Henry mine that Evolution acquired from Glencore for $1bn in 2021. The closure of the smelter would put the future of northern Australia's largest inland town in doubt. Mount Isa is the anchor city of Queensland's northwest, with its businesses and hospital servicing not only its 18,000 residents but the region as a whole. A global desire to decarbonise by 2050 would require a significant increase in the number of mines and volumes produced, according to experts. EY said part of the energy transition would require massive volumes of copper – about 41 million tonnes – necessitating the construction of about 40 new large copper mines globally. The Productivity Commission report also raised the issue of the government's controversial Capacity Investment Scheme for renewables which is due to stop in 2030 as potentially meaning the electricity sector might not decarbonise quickly enough in the next decade. Andrew Forrest's Squadron Energy said it advocated for policy settings that reflect 'the true value of firmed renewables' and enabled investment in generation storage, grid upgrades, and regional development. 'This aligns with the Commission's recommendation to replace the Renewable Energy Target and Capacity Investment Scheme with more effective market mechanisms post-2030,' Squadron said in a statement. Read related topics: Climate Change Politics Business leader Warwick Smith has warned Anthony Albanese to hasten slowly with any reforms agreed upon at the upcoming economic roundtable, amid warring unions and corporate groups. Business Australia will set minimum prices for rare earth minerals and broker national supply deals to break China's grip on the critical defence material.
The Australian
4 hours ago
- The Australian
Anthony Albanese to announce $31m mobile TAFE centres during visit to the 2025 Garma Festival
Anthony Albanese will promise mobile TAFE centres to train Indigenous students in remote communities, with the Prime Minister set to make the announcement when he attends the Garma Festival in remote Arnhem Land this weekend. The $31m commitment, to be delivered alongside state and territory governments, will allow teachers to travel Australia using utes and trailers to train students in construction, mining, agriculture, carpentry, plumbing and community work, to ensure Indigenous people don't have to leave their communities to access that training. 'So that instead of communities relying on drive-in, drive-out workers to build and maintain the new homes we are delivering … locals get that training,' he is expected to say on Saturday. 'And instead of people having to move away from home to prepare for a career in mining or agriculture, construction or the care economy, we will bring skills and jobs to communities. 'Hands-on training, on country.' Anthony Albanese attending the Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land in 2024. Picture: Yothu Yindi Foundation/Nina Franova via NewsWire Labor will also promise $75m to help resource-strapped native title holders negotiate land use deals, to 'secure better deals, drive faster approvals and deliver a real and lasting economic legacy for communities. 'We must end the stalemate that arises when native title organisations with little in the way of back of house, or legal and commercial expertise, are expected to negotiate with multinational firms,' he will say. 'This is the tone and the standard we want this partnership to set, from the very start – pragmatic action that brings economic development, ownership and equity to communities. 'Not doubling-up on advice, or getting in the way of processes that are working.' In what will be his fourth time attending the large-scale event as Prime Minister, Mr Albanese will say that Labor's second term of government will be focused on 'delivery', with the government shifting focus to boosting economic empowerment among Indigenous Australians following the failure of the Voice referendum. It also coincides with this week's release of the Closing the Gap report which revealed Australia was only on track to meet four out of 19 targets, with efforts to reduce rates of Indigenous adult imprisonment, suicide rates and removing children in out-of-home care, and bring them in line with non-Indigenous peoples worsening. Australia was, however, expected to reach its targets to boost Indigenous preschool enrolments, employment and two land rights goals. Although Mr Albanese is expected to concede that there is 'more to do,' he will urge that 'closing the gap is a challenge all of us must meet' and took aim at the 'culture wars' instigated by the Coalition. This follows a successful motion at the WA Liberal Party state conference, which was supported by high-profile Liberal senator Michaelia Cash, and called for Welcome to Country ceremonies to be banned at official events. Mr Albanese will use his speech at Garma to call for an end to the culture wars saying they 'are a dry gully'. Picture: Yothu Yindi Foundation/Leicolhn McKellar via NewsWire Instead Mr Albanese will call on people to push back against people who 'choose the cheap politics of division over the patient work of lasting change or who seek to turn the grace and generosity of a welcome to country into a political weapon'. 'Culture wars are a dry gully. They offer us nothing, they lead us nowhere,' he will say. 'The way forward is to invest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, trust in their aspirations and draw from their knowledge because when we lay these strong foundations together, there is no limit to what we can build.' New Liberal leader Sussan Ley will not attend the Garma Festival. Instead, shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser – who stood down from the front bench in 2023 because of his support of the Voice – will represent the Coalition. Ms Ley will, instead, travel to the Kimberley in Western Australia for a four-day listening tour with Indigenous communities and organisations. The Opposition Leader will also be joined by Coalition spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians Kerrynne Liddle and WA MP for Durack Melissa Price. Ms Ley said Mr Albanese had a 'personal obligation' to use his appearance at the Garma Festival to detail his government's plan to closing the gap. 'It is not good enough to just give speeches at festivals, we need to see his plan,' she said. 'Since the Voice Anthony Albanese has stepped back from Indigenous issues, that is not good enough. He led the referendum process, a process which was unsuccessful. So what is his path forward?' The four-day event, which started on Friday, will be the 25th anniversary of the Garma festival, which celebrates Yolngu culture – the name of Aboriginal peoples who inhabit northeastern Arnhem Land. The theme of this year's festival is 'rom ga waŋa wataŋu', or 'the law of the land, standing firm'. Read related topics: Anthony Albanese Jessica Wang NewsWire Federal Politics Reporter Jessica Wang is a federal politics reporter for NewsWire based in the Canberra Press Gallery. She previously covered NSW state politics for the Wire and has also worked at and Mamamia covering breaking news, entertainment, and lifestyle. @imjesswang_ Jessica Wang
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese must guarantee Australia is not ‘rewarding terrorists'
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash has accused the Albanese government of recklessly distributing taxpayer funds, warning $20 million in aid could be indirectly supporting terrorism. 'Mr Albanese needs to guarantee to the Australian people that this $20 million of taxpayer funds is not going to reward terrorism,' Ms Cash told Sky News host Sharri Markson. 'Shame on Mr Albanese and Penny Wong for not sitting back and understanding the actions the Anthony Albanese Labor government are taking … you are embalming and you are rewarding terrorists. 'This wasn't a protest; it was a political statement using one of our most iconic pieces of infrastructure, which has yet again emboldened Hamas.'
