News live: Albanese reveals call with Netanyahu as PM announces Australia will recognise Palestinian statehood in September
Tom McIlroy
PM spoke with Netanyahu last week in ‘civil’ call
During his press conference, Albanese revealed he had spoken with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahulast week.
The timing of the call was not previously made public, despite Albanese having flagged his intention to speak with Netanyahu. The prime minister said:
I have said it publicly and I said it directly to prime minister Netanyahu: the situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears. Far too many innocent lives have been lost.
The PM said the pair had a civil conversation and that the call went longer than many between world leaders. Netanyahu criticised Australia for moving to recognise Palestine on Monday, Australian time. Albanese said:
I was able to say that the arguments that he put to me were very similar to the arguments that he put more than a year ago.
It seems to me very clearly, and I put the argument to him, that we need a political solution – not a military one, because a military response alone has seen the devastation in Gaza.
Key events
Tom McIlroy
Greens says recognition an ‘overdue step’
The Greens foreign affairs spokesperson, David Shoebridgesays Australia’s move to recognise a Palestinian state is an “overdue step”.
He has restated calls for additional sanctions on the government of Israel and a ban on arms trade, including parts for the F-35 fighter jet. Shoebridge said:
The Greens have supported, and will continue to support, freedom and statehood for the Palestinian people as part of a just peace for the conflict. Recognition should have happened decades ago.
What Australia has done today is take a tiny step away from a shrinking and discredited minority of states, centred on the US and Israel, to join the overwhelming majority of nations that already recognise Palestine.
Genocide is not a communications problem, an escalating series of statements will not end it. By contrast, ending the two-way arms trade as part of a comprehensive sanctions regime would have a significant impact.
Krishani dhanji
Shadow defence minister says recognition ‘premature’
The opposition says the preconditions for recognising Palestinian statehood “have not been met”, and that recognition would be a reward for Hamas.
Speaking to Sky News after the prime minister’s press conference, shadow defence minister Angus Taylor said Hamas would be “very pleased” if the international community does down the path of recognition.
Taylor said recognition would be “premature”:
I don’t think the government has made the case that those preconditions have been met or are going to be met. There’s no satisfaction that hostages will be released. We’ve got no clarity that Hamas will be excluded from a future government or fully demilitarised …
This is a reward to Hamas for what they started on 7 October … If you start going down this path, I think Hamas will be very pleased with their work, and that’s exactly the opposite of what we want to see.
Wong confirms she spoke with Rubio before making announcement
Ima Caldwell
Penny Wong confirmed in the press conference that she spoke with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, overnight.
She said:
I spoke to Secretary Rubio ahead of the announcement, and as a matter of diplomatic courtesy, advised him of our intention to announce.
A spokesperson for Rubio said the pair discussed “issues in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, along with global efforts to combat antisemitism”.
Reactions pouring in after Albanese’s announcement
Politicians and advocacy groups have quickly moved to address Albanese’s decision:
Labor Friends of Palestine called the move “historic”, saying it was a “a huge shift and a very significant step from the Australian government”. Peter Mossone of the group’s co-conveners, said in a statement:
We congratulate the government on today’s announcement, but we also call for Australia to move urgently to build on this with further strong action under international law, including sanctions and an arms embargo. …
This decision is an historic milestone for Australia’s foreign policy and for the cause of justice in Palestine
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said it was troubled by the decision, saying the government had “departed from decades of bipartisan consensus”. The group’s president, Daniel Aghionsaid:
We feel that the course of action announced by the government is a betrayal and abandonment of the Israeli hostages who continue to languish in appalling conditions in Gaza without even access to the Red Cross. This announcement gives them no hope for release. It leaves Hamas armed and in control of territory, and in a position to regroup and rearm, thereby creating the conditions for the next war rather than a comprehensive peace …
Israel will feel wronged and abandoned by a longstanding ally.
Here are the first moments from Albanese’s remarks this afternoon:
PM says recognition of Palestine a ‘practical contribution towards building momentum’
Albanese was asked if the gesture was a symbolic moment and what it will mean in seeing an end to the conflict in the Middle East. The prime minister said:
This is a practical contribution towards building momentum. This is not Australia acting alone. What we are seeing is a range of countries engaging in detailed dialogue as well behind the scenes. …
This conflict which has gone on for such a long period of time, I think Australians want to see an end to it. And an end to it can only be secured when both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security.
Wong added that Australia had an “opportunity as a nation to contribute to momentum towards two states. And that is the only prospect for peace”.
Penny Wong says recognition will come when it best contributes ‘momentum to peace. September is that time’
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, is speaking now, saying the Labor government had been talking with the Australian people about changing the country’s approach to the war in Gaza since April. She said:
We made clear we would recognise Palestine when it would best contribute momentum to peace.
September is that time.
When the world says this has gone on far too long. When the world says the heartbreak, death and destruction must end …
We have always said that Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas. But a whole population has been shattered. So this September, the international community has the chance to forge hope from despair.
Albanese says recognition of Palestinian state also upholds commitment to the people of Israel
The prime minister said the decision will not undermine Australia’s support for Israel, reiterating his calls for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas. Albanese said:
When we recognise the long-held and legitimate aspirations of the people of Palestine, we are also upholding and strengthening our commitment to the people of Israel and their right to live in freedom, security and safety.
Because until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary. Ever since the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Australia has stood with the people of Israel and our partners and allies around the world in calling for the release of the hostages. For the sake of the loved ones and all who share in their pain, we repeat that call today.
‘Two-state solution is humanity’s best hope’ to break cycle of violence, PM says
Albanese says the decision will recognise the right of the Palestinian people “to a state of their own predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority”. He said:
A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza.
The international community’s vision for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East always encompassed two states – living side-by-side with internationally recognised borders.
Anthony Albanese says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at UN general assembly
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state.
Albanese is speaking at Parliament House in Canberra after a cabinet meeting earlier today. He said:
Today I can confirm that at the 80th session of the United Nations general assembly in September, Australia will recognise the state of Palestine.
The decision comes after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, chastised Australia and other European nations considering recognition of Palestine as “shameful”. Netanyahu said any such decisions would not change Israel’s position in Gaza.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is expected to speak shortly after a meeting with his cabinet. Follow along for updates.
Universal childcare would raise women’s workforce participation rates, campaign group says
Tom McIlroy
Universal childcare won’t come cheap. In 2024, the Productivity Commission said removing the childcare subsidy and introducing a flat-fee model of $10 a day would cost an extra $8.3bn annually.
The Parenthood’s Georgia Dent pointed to ABS figures which show that of the 180,000 Australians who want a job but aren’t able to start work, 29% cited caring for children as the primary reason.
It was the most common reason for women, with 44% of women citing this as their main reason.
Australia has really high rates of women with tertiary qualifications, but compared to similar countries, women’s workforce participation in Australia drops off around the time they have children and never quite recovers.
The exorbitant cost of early childhood education and care is a huge driver of this. We need to fund early childhood education in a way that is simpler and more affordable for parents.
