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Scott Morrison considers Israel embassy move – politics live
Scott Morrison considers Israel embassy move – politics live
(35 minutes later)
Lucy Gichuhi has just deleted her tweet. (More accurately, deleted it 16 minutes ago, according to this )
For the record, it said this:
I say no to white supremacy I say no to black supremacy But I say yes to HUMAN supremacy Today, the Government condemned all forms of Racism #auspol”
There are so many first drafts of history these days.
So @MathiasCormann - if it was an administrative error by you, why did @cporterwa tweet this yesterday? Why did @Anne_Ruston use the same language in the Senate? pic.twitter.com/ZJBT5IqguX
Anne Ruston was absolutely right to make absolutely clear that the government condemns all forms of racism and of course @cporterwa was right to support Anne’s statement on behalf of Government senators, as did I. https://t.co/rANFf12tse
A despatch from Israel, on Australia considering the relocation of its embassy:
News of the potential embassy move came in late on Monday evening in Jerusalem and is sure to make waves here this week.
Ever since Trump’s declaration in December last year, Israel has been pushing hard to persuade other countries to follow, hoping Washington would have smashed a decades-long taboo.
For close to a year, that seemed unlikely as only Guatemala – a dependable Israel ally – and Paraguay made the announcement. And Paraguay reversed its decision last month after a change of president, prompting Israel to shutter its own embassy there in disappointment.
Having the Australian prime minister even talking about the possibility of recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will be seen as a huge step towards that goal. It will be held up as a win in Israel and derided by the Palestinian leadership, who see these embassy moves as a pivotal step away from their aspirations for a state and an end to the occupation.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has sought to court the Christian right, and evangelicals in particular, as many see Jerusalem being Israel’s capital as consistent with biblical prophecy of the second coming of Jesus and the Rapture.
Just to recap, we don’t know who was responsible for the “administrative error” which saw the government vote yes, when it meant to vote no, we don’t know why it happened, and we don’t know why government senators tweeted their reasons for voting in support when apparently they did not support it.
Mathias Cormann:
“We made a decision to oppose that motion [in September] and to make a statement in our own words that as a government we deplore racism of any kind, but not to actually support the motion.
Yesterday, as a result of an administrative process failure, the government senators in the chamber ended up on advice voting in support of the motion.
As leader of the government in the Senate, I take responsibility for that error and I’m sorry that that happened. It is indeed regrettable. As I indicated when this motion first came up, we made a very clear decision to oppose that motion. It wasn’t voted on in September. It came back up yesterday and it slipped through. It shouldn’t have. And I take responsibility for that.”
Mathias Cormann doesn’t explain what the administrative process failure was.
He also doesn’t explain why a bunch of government senators tweeted about why they supported the motion, given it was apparently a complete and utter cock-up.
Odd the government voted for the anti-white racism motion as the result of an "administrative error" when numerous senators then tweeted to explain their support for it #auspol pic.twitter.com/7QV5ZkY1AP
I guess this is the problem with scheduled tweets?
The Government Senators’ actions in the Senate this afternoon confirm that the Government deplores racism of any kind.
So apparently government senators don’t listen to the motions and just vote through direction. Even when they don’t support the motion. Even after they have decided not to support a motion. They’ll do what the direction says.
Look, I don’t support the form of words that’s in that motion and the government made a decision not to support that motion. We deplore racism of any kind. There is no question in my mind that the decision that we made in September to oppose this motion is the decision that should have been implemented yesterday. As a result of an administrative process failure that didn’t happen and I regret that.”
Mathias Cormann:
There is an administrative process involved in determining the government’s position in relation to each of the 50 or 60 motions that are dealt with in the Senate every week.
As I’ve indicated, when this issue was first raised, when this motion was first raised in September, the government made a clear decision to oppose this motion and to make a statement that as a government we deplore racism in any kind, that is a decision that should have been maintained yesterday and as a result of an administrative process failure it wasn’t. That is regrettable and I take responsibility.”
Mathias Cormann said it was an “administrative failure” which led to government senators voting for the Pauline Hanson motion that it is “okay to be white” and has taken responsibility for it.
He says the government had determined to vote no when the motion first came up in September, but somehow ended up voting yes through some sort of “administrative” error.
So the government said no, but the computer said yes. Or something.
Mathias Cormann and Penny Wong are often paired for Senate motion votes – as leaders of their respective parties in the Senate, they are often too busy to vote on every single motion, so there is often a standing pair.
I didn’t see Cormann in the chamber for the motion, but it has been pointed out to me that he could have been there. We will soon find out.
It looks like the assistant treasurer, Stuart Robert, he of the $38,000 internet bill, is looking for a new electorate officer.
You’ll need these skills to apply:
Primary duties:
• Management of constituent issues; including written correspondence and telephone enquiries and mail outs• Liaise with government departments and ministerial offices on behalf of constituents• Data entry and management• Work with colleagues to maximise opportunities for electorate engagement• General administrative duties• Other duties as specified by the office managerApplicants should possess the following skills:
• Excellent oral and written communication skills• Excellent understanding and interest in Australia’s system of government, parliamentary process and political process• Well-developed Microsoft IT skills• Attention to detail• Good organisational ability• Previous electorate office experience highly regarded but not essential
The only thing a government senator said in relation to the motion yesterday was this short statement from Anne Ruston:
The only thing a government senator said in relation to the motion yesterday was this short statement from Anne Ruston:
The government condemns all forms of racism.”
The government condemns all forms of racism.”
The Herald Sun is reporting a group of Victorian government MPs are advocating for children of asylum seekers and their families to be removed from Nauru.
The Herald Sun is reporting a group of government MPs are advocating for children of asylum seekers and their families to be removed from Nauru.
Rob Harris reports Russell Broadbent, Craig Laundy and Julia Banks are calling on the government to bring them to Australia for immediate medical treatment, following the AMA’s intervention.
Rob Harris reports Russell Broadbent, Craig Laundy and Julia Banks are calling on the government to bring them to Australia for immediate medical treatment, following the AMA’s intervention.
Labor is not in support of moving Australia’s Israel embassy to disputed territory. Penny Wong has issued this statement:
Labor is not in support of moving Australia’s Israel embassy to disputed territory. Penny Wong has issued this statement:
Foreign policy, and Australia’s national interest are far too important to be played with in this fashion.
Foreign policy, and Australia’s national interest are far too important to be played with in this fashion.
Instead of playing dangerous and deceitful word games with Australian foreign policy in a desperate attempt to win votes Scott Morrison should try governing in a way that reflects the values of the people of Wentworth by committing to serious action on climate change, and legislating to protect teachers and students from discrimination.
Instead of playing dangerous and deceitful word games with Australian foreign policy in a desperate attempt to win votes Scott Morrison should try governing in a way that reflects the values of the people of Wentworth by committing to serious action on climate change, and legislating to protect teachers and students from discrimination.
The people of Wentworth, and all Australians, deserve a leader who puts the national interest ahead of his self-interest, and governs in the best long term interest of the nation, not one prepared to play games with long standing foreign policy positions five days out from a by-election.
The people of Wentworth, and all Australians, deserve a leader who puts the national interest ahead of his self-interest, and governs in the best long term interest of the nation, not one prepared to play games with long standing foreign policy positions five days out from a by-election.
Mathias Cormann isn’t even waiting for the Senate to meet to make his statement – he has just issued an alert for a doorstop at 9.10 in the Mural Hall.
Mathias Cormann isn’t even waiting for the Senate to meet to make his statement – he has just issued an alert for a doorstop at 9.10 in the Mural Hall.
Scott Morrison on the support for that motion:
What about the directive from the attorney general Christian Porter’s office that the government should support this “It’s OK to be white” motion.
Well, I’m sure all Australians stand against racism in whatever form it takes, but the leader of the government in the Senate will be making a statement about that later today.
“The leader of the government in the Senate will be making comments on that later today.
Was it wrong?
Well, I found it regrettable but the leader of the government in the Senate will be making a statement on that shortly.”
So the government either ended up voting for a motion it did not support, or it is ‘regrettable’ that the backlash occurred.
Mathias Cormann was one of the pairs yesterday, so he wasn’t in the chamber.
In fact, here are all the pairs from that vote, as recorded by Hansard:
PAIRS
Cormann, M
Wong, P
Macdonald, ID
Dodson, P
Martin, S.L
McAllister, J
Paterson, J
Steele-John, J
Payne, MA
Marshall, GM
Pratt, LC
Fawcett, DJ
Sinodinos, A
Polley, H
Government senators were in damage control after the vote last night.
Voting to say that “it’s OK to be white” is taking a stand against racism, apparently.
The Government indeed deplores racism of any kind. https://t.co/ABqqMj08XE
I say no to white supremacy I say no to black supremacy But I say yes to HUMAN supremacy Today, the Government condemned all forms of Racism #auspol
The Government Senators’ actions in the Senate this afternoon confirm that the Government deplores racism of any kind.
And then, this:
Breaking: I’m told AG Christian Porter’s office gave the instruction to support the ‘it’s OK to be White’ motion yesterday AFTER the Government had previously decided to oppose it when this was first raised in September. @SkyNewsAust
Scott Morrison could not get out of that press conference fast enough when questions about the government’s support for Pauline Hanson’s “it’s OK to be white” motion came up, only saying Senate leader, Mathias Cormann, would be making a statement on it.
As he is leaving, Morrison says he found it “regrettable” the government voted in support for a motion which used a phase popularised by racists, the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi’s.
But Cormann will be the one giving the statement.
So, it has nothing to do with Wentworth, nothing to do with the position of the United States and nothing to do with Scott Morrison’s faith.
It apparently has come up, at this particular point in time, four days out from the Wentworth vote, where the Jewish population sits at 12.5%, because of the timing of a UN vote:
There is a vote tomorrow morning, on Wednesday, Australia will be voting no. Now, that is a significant decision and in my view as a new prime minister of only seven weeks, that would raise questions about where do I stand on a range of other issues? I thought it was important that that context ... I’m being upfront with leaders and others around the world.
This is our thinking on this issue. We think after three years after the Iran nuclear deal, it is timely to have a good look and see whether it is meeting our objectives. Is it adding to greater stability or is it not? I think they are fair questions and I think if we’re going to say internally that we’re going to look at this question again that we should say publicly that we’re doing that.
Equally on the question of the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital, I do find those arguments persuasive that Dave has put forward, but are they achievable, can they be taken through?
Is there a consultation process that we now need to follow particularly with regional leaders, of course, there is. But I think it is a conversation worth having.
A discussion is not a decision, but I think I’m being upfront with people. I’m being very clear about what my dispositions are and how I’m forming these decision and that’s how I want to deal with the Australian people and others.
I think people know where I stand and I think that can be a great comfort when people know where their prime minister stands on these sorts of questions.”
And, it also has nothing to do with the United States, says Scott Morrison. And that includes the question of whether or not we remain a part of the Iran nuclear deal which Barrack Obama oversaw while president, and Donald Trump pulled the States out of.
The Australian government has not made a decision to actually recognise Jerusalem as the capital or to shift our embassy.
We have not made a decision to change our policy when it comes to it the Iran nuclear deal. All we have said that is that consistent with our commitment to a two state solution, we are reviewing, without prejudice, the Iran nuclear deal and we are open to the arguments that have been made by our former ambassador to Israel about how we could progress that issue in the context of the two state solution.
The nuances and the calibration of this is what we are doing. I want to make this point, Australia, our government, I have made this decision without any reference to the United States. It has not come up in any discussion I have had with the president or officials. Marise has just been in the US. There has been no request and there has been no discussion with the United States. Australia makes its decisions about its foreign policy independently. We do so in our own national interests, consistent with our own beliefs and our own values.”
Wentworth has nothing to do with it, says Scott Morrison, and he is just listening to Dave Sharma as a former ambassador to Israel. He also denies it has anything to do with keeping the conservative section of his party room happy:
It is not motivated by either. In June I articulated the government’s policy. I was the treasurer. The treasurer is not responsible for matters of foreign affairs. It is my job to articulate and speak to government policy as it existed at the time.”
He also says it has nothing to do with his faith (Donald Trump’s decision was thought to be partly motivated by the mass support of evangelical Christians for the move)
My faith and religion has nothing to do with this decision.
But Scott Morrison also says no decision has been made:
What I’ll do in the months ahead is confer with cabinet colleagues. I will obviously take the opportunity up during the coming summit season to confer with other leaders around the world and gauge their perception about this and to make the case that Dave himself has made about whether this can actually provide an alternative way forward and aid the cause that I believe all of us are interested in pursuing.
So, no decision has been made in regarding the recognition of a capital or the movement of an embassy and I should be clear they are the two issues. You can recognise a capital, the issue the real estate and your embassy is a separate one and as Dave argues in his article, these things can be dealt with sequentially, but at the same time, what we are simply doing is being open to that suggestion as a potential way forward and I’m not going to close my mind off to things that can actually be done better and differently to aid the great cause of Australian foreign policy and that’s all we have said today.
We’re open to that discussion and I look forward to pursuing that with people and colleagues and leaders around the world. So I’m happy to take questions as is Marise [Payne], we have been in the process of last 24 hours of informing and briefing allies and partners and that process will continue.
The prime minister says he is “open minded” to the “sensible” proposal to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to [west] Jerusalem:
Now, in relation to our diplomatic presence in Israel. What I have simply said is this – we’re committed to a two-state solution.
Australia’s position on this issue has to date assumed that it is not possible to consider the question of the recognition of Israel’s capital in Jerusalem and that be consistent with pursuing a two state solution.
Now, Dave Sharma, who was the ambassador to Israel, has proposed some months ago a way forward that challenges that thinking and it says that you can achieve both and indeed, by pursuing both, you are actually aiding the cause for a two-state solution. Now, when people say sensible things, I think it is important to listen to them.
And particularly, when they have the experience of someone like Dave Sharma. We’re committed to a two-state solution, but frankly, it hasn’t been going that well. Not a lot of progress has been made. And you don’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
And so when sensible suggestions are put forward that are consistent with your policy positioning and in this case pursuing a two-state solution, Australia should be open-minded to this and I am open-minded to this and our government is open-minded to this.
The proposal that Dave spoke about in his article back in May provided the opportunity for a capital for a Palestinian Authority in East Jerusalem and one for Israel in west Jerusalem.
The whole point of a two-state solution is two nations recognised living side by side. And so, opening up that discussion does provide us with the opportunity, I think, to do what Australians have always done and that is to apply a practical and common-sense and innovative role in trying to work with partners around the world to aid our broader objectives in this case a two state solution.
So Australia and I as prime minister, am open to that suggestion.
Scott Morrison is in the Blue Room for a two flag press conference, speaking on why we are now considering moving the embassy:
I wanted to make a number of statements with the foreign minister in relation to our government’s position on Israel and issues in the Middle East. Now, the first thing I want to stress very strongly is the government’s commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East, remains, has always been and I believe always will be Australia’s policy in relation to the resolution of Israel and Palestine.
We are committed to a two-state solution and nothing has changed when it comes to the government’s position on this matter. In dealing with the matters though that are coming up this week in the United Nations general assembly though and particular in relation to the vote that will be held on Wednesday morning, regarding concessions and conference of official status on the Palestinian Authority, to chair the G77, this is a significant vote.
Our government will be voting against that resolution. We won’t be abstaining. We will be voting against that resolution because we don’t believe that conferring that status, especially at this time, would add to the cause of moving parties towards the two-state solution. This is our objective. This is what we’re seeking to achieve.”
Can you tell we are in the final days of a crucial byelection?
Scott Morrison is discussing overturning decades of Australian foreign policy and moving our embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of the USA.
The prime minister rejected that stance as recently as mid-year, when he told Tasmanian radio LAFM that “was [America’s] policy, not ours” and Australia would not follow suit:
“Because it’s not the government’s policy. It’s never been under review and we’re not doing it,” he said in June.
DFAT secretary, Frances Adamson, told the Conversation that same month that was the right path to take, from a diplomatic standpoint:
None of these things should be seen in isolation and we need to see what effort the Americans will put into a Middle East peace process, but I think from all sides it made what was already a very, very difficult process even harder.”
So, why does Australia, which still supports a two-state solution, suddenly want to look at relocating our embassy?
I spoke today with Australian PM @ScottMorrisonMP. He informed me that he is considering officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel & moving the Australian embassy to Jerusalem. I’m very thankful to him for this. We will continue to strengthen ties between 🇮🇱 & 🇦🇺!
Well, Dave Sharma, the Liberals Wentworth candidate is a former ambassador to Israel and he believes it is something we should look at.
And the last Census figures show 12.5% of Wentworth’s population practices Judaism.
So, now we are looking at it.
Scott Morrison is about to hold a press conference on that very issue, so I will bring you that. Mike Bowers is on assignment, so it is just me and the brains trust today, but as always, you can find me occasionally in the comments, and, if it’s urgent @amyremeikis.
