Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese has marked the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel as an attempt to unite parliament in condemnation of the violence failed.

The prime minister issued a call for the House of Representatives to condemn the October 7 attack on Tuesday.

The motion includes a call for the immediate release of the remaining Israeli hostages, in addition to recognising the number of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza and the catastrophic humanitarian situation.

It stresses the need to break the cycle of violence and supports international efforts to de-escalate, for a ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon, and for lasting peace and security for Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese and all people in the region;

“This past year must have felt like a cruel eternity,” Mr Albanese said.

“The number of civilians who have lost their lives out of the past year is a tragedy of horrific proportions.

“So much has been lost, loved ones buried. We join all of them in their grief.”

Mr Albanese condemned the “poison of anti-Semitism”.

Speaking a year on from the attack, the prime minister highlighted the “brutality and the cruelty that was inflicted on so many with such cold calculation”.

“We think of all whose life and futures were stolen from them that day,” he said.

Mr Albanese also issued a warning to anyone thinking about taking a Hamas or Hezbollah flag to a protest.

“These symbols are not acceptable,” he said.

“They are symbols of terror. They are illegal, and they will not be tolerated here.”

In response, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton slammed Mr Albanese and said the coalition could not support the motion.

“The prime minister is trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth … today is the day where this parliament was meant to mark what should be a solemn moment, a solemn moment where 1200 people lost their lives and that is the position that we put to the house,” he said.

“We have put to this prime minister a more than reasonable position and the prime minister has rejected that position for his own political domestic advancement and that has been recognised by millions of Australians, and for that, the prime minister should be condemned.”

Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns said the “lives of too many innocent people were cut down in an instant” on October 7.

He said recent protests had “some of the most aggressive and unnecessarily confrontational” symbols of hate and terror.

“We have to be the people here in Australia who say that for all communities and for all Australians, you belong, you are part of the Australian society, and that we as people see a shared future, a shared future of people who share our humanity,” he said.

Jewish Liberal MP Julian Leeser said the coalition wished it could support the motion.

“We can’t have a ceasefire at the moment that would allow terrorist organisations that we list as terrorist organisations in our own country to regroup and reform and continue to attack innocent civilians,” he said.

He criticised Labor for not adopting a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism at universities which he said had allowed some “bad ideas” about Jewish people to fester.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack on Israel, killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostage, according to the Israeli government.

The first anniversary of the attacks was marked across Australia with vigils held by the Jewish community to remember those killed, the families grieving and the hostages who remain captive.

Community leaders warned of an unprecedented rise of anti-Semitism in Australia since the October 7 attack and called for the federal government to do more to stem the tide of abuse.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is also reviewing the visa of a US guest speaker who reportedly called October 7 a day of celebration at a rally at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s west.

Mr Albanese attended a vigil to mark the one-year anniversary of the attack by Hamas, which Australia designates as a terrorist organisation.

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