Labor have secured a historic election win with Anthony Albanese becoming the first prime minister to win a second term since John Howard in 2004.
The result on May 3 was a landslide, with Labor exceeding the polls and winning at least 85 seats in the House of Representatives in an election that has left the Coalition decimated in retaining a paltry 39 seats. The election landside to the ALP even cost opposition leader Peter Dutton his seat of Dickson, which he lost to longtime Labor challenger Ali France.
The result is a total rejection of the Coalitions focus on ‘culture wars’ and populist policies that promised to end working-from home arrangements and sack 41,000 public servants. Voters clearly felt a second term Albanese government was better placed to solve the problems voters face, like housing, cost of living pressures, climate change, health and employment.
The result sees Labor ascendant and gives the newly re-elected Prime Minister a strong mandate to show more leadership on a range of issues, including the current situation in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 led to a brutal military response from Israel, leading to accusations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by human rights organisations and international legal experts.
Israel has levelled much of Gaza with 70% of the enclaves buildings damaged or destroyed, including more than 250,000 houses as well as most hospitals, schools, universities and mosques.
This extraordinary level of destruction has displaced almost the entirety of the population of Gaza and resulted in an enormous loss of life. At least 50,000 people have been killed (mostly women and children) and more aid workers and journalists have been killed than in any other modern conflict. A Reuters investigation has found at least 1,238 families have been wiped out, and a further 3,400 families have lost all but one member to Israeli attacks.
The intent of Israel’s leaders from day one has been revealed in the hundreds of documented public statements from Israeli politicians calling for the targeting and killing of Palestinian civilians, withholding humanitarian aid and the supply of water, food and electricity. Israel has also vowed to remove Palestinians from Gaza, which would be a form of ethnic cleansing.
These actions have led to Israel facing the charge of genocide at the International Court of Justice, an accusation increasingly backed by legal experts and genocide historians. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are also now wanted criminals after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for crimes committed in Gaza.
Until now Labor has actively avoided directly condemning Israel and its leaders, releasing vague public statements calling for Israel and Hamas to “observe international law and the rules of war” or washing their hands of the issue completely by saying Australia is not a “major player” in the Middle East.
The Australian Prime Minister and cabinet ministers have also refused to say whether Australia would arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they visited our shores – a legal obligation under the ICC Rome Statute – and has undermined the court by claiming it was drawing “moral equivalence” between Hamas and Israel.
Meanwhile, Labor ministers continue to visit Israel, showing “solidarity” and shaking hands with Israeli politicians. Many of these politicians – like Defence Minster Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and President Isaac Herzog – have, over the past 18-months, made statements dehumanising Palestinians and calling for Gaza to be ethnically cleansed.
The government has also failed to recognise Palestinian statehood despite Labor adopting it within the party’s National Platform in 2021 and supporting a two-state solution at the United Nations General Assembly. Labor’s unwillingness to respect its own commitment contrasts with Ireland, Norway and Spain; all of which recognised Palestine statehood last year.
Labor’s stance on Israel is a far cry from its strong response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Albanese has not been afraid to public rebuke Vladimir Putin, calling the invasion an “illegal war of aggression” and condemning Russia for targeting and killing civilians. The government has also sanctioned Russian leaders and businesses, something it has refused to do with Israel.
Labor’s apparent double standards contribute to a perception that Israel can act with impunity, and that Palestinians lives are not valued while also undermining international law and damaging Australia’s global reputation.
But the historic size of the Albanese government’s electoral success has given it the political capital needed to take a stronger political position on Israel and weather the likely blowback from the opposition, the United States under President Donald Trump as well as Israel and its powerful lobby in Australia.
A stronger stance on the issue could involve meaningful actions like targeted sanctions on Israeli politicians and businesses, particularly deals involving weapons or components for fighter aircraft. It could also join growing calls for a global arms embargo on Israel, which would aid the enforcement of a permanent ceasefire.
The government could also join Spain, Ireland, Belgium and others in the ongoing ICJ genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel, as well as publicly vowing to arrest Netanyahu if he visits Australia. This would send a strong message that Canberra respects the international courts, and that crimes against civilians need to be punished with the full force of the law.
Australia could join 146 other UN member states and recognise Palestine immediately and unconditionally, especially given the party’s official policy platform of supporting a two-state solution; rhetoric that is arguably pointless if Australia only recognises Israel.
These are not radical proposals, they are practical steps that can hold both Israel accountable and save lives, and which are consistent with Labor’s commitment to upholding international law. Furthermore, their enactment would likely demonstrate to the Australian people that a second-term Albanese government has both moral and political courage.
This article was first published on April 28, 2025. It was revised after the election outcome on May 3, 2025 with only changes made to the grammatical tense used.
