On Sunday people of all ages and backgrounds could be found at any train station in or around Liverpool. Many wore keffiyehs and Palestinian flags as they made their way to a march for humanity to call for an end to the killing and starvation in Gaza. When the people of Liverpool alighted the train at Wynyard, not much could have prepared them for what they saw. The sheer size of the crowd, with estimates as high as 300,000 strong, was a powerful reflection of the collective conscience of the people of Sydney. The image of those walking across the Harbour Bridge in peaceful protest is certain to stand as a defining moment in the history of our State and nation.
I attended my first rally for Gaza in November 2023 in Hyde Park. Even then, the crowds felt enormous, filled with people from all walks of life who came together to stand for justice and call for an end to the suffering of innocent civilians. If somebody had told me back then that the movement would only grow larger, especially to Sunday's scale, I would not have believed them. I acknowledge the Labor contingent at Sunday's march, which was around 300 strong. Labor Friends of Palestine has played a key role within the party, working to ensure that the Federal party stays true to its platform of recognising a Palestinian state, as agreed upon by our national conference. It has led important efforts to pass motions through local branches, including in south-west Sydney.
When thousands take to the streets, it sends a message to not only government but also the world, and raises an important question: What responsibility does Australia carry as a global actor? There is a strong tradition in our country's foreign policy, particularly Labor foreign policy, that fashions Australia as the good international citizen. This was popularised in the Hawke and Keating era, fell out of vogue under John Howard, but was promptly restored upon the election of Kevin Rudd in 2007. It is a unique hallmark of Labor foreign policy.
Former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans defined good international citizenship as an exercise in enlightened self‑interest. He identified it as a major pillar of Australian foreign policy based on the idea that Australia should be a constructive, multilateralist and generous member of the international community. The practice of good international citizenship is a balancing act between our nation's idealism and pragmatism. The degree of either will vary from issue to issue, but there are moments in history when the scale of injustice is so great, so morally indefensible, that they demand a principled response regardless of strategic interest. In 1989 Gareth Evans reflected on how Australia's foreign policy could reflect moral conviction. Citing apartheid in South Africa, he said:
This Government has been active in support of international efforts against apartheid, not because it serves any direct Australian commercial or strategic interest, but because the system of apartheid stands so far beyond the pale and is so manifestly immoral that we cannot just wash our hands of it on the comfortable but indecent justification that it is too far away from narrow Australian interests.
In this era of Labor governance, if Australia is to continue our party's great tradition of good international citizenship, we ought to ask ourselves how such a framework can apply in this case. We are not a large player in this conflict, and we do not possess the unilateral capacity to end the conflict on our own, regardless of how much we want to. Yet it is important that we as a nation continue to act with principle to use our voice on the world stage to call for a just and lasting peace, and to stand firmly for international law and human rights, regardless of the size of our influence.
It is important that the Federal Labor Party remains responsive to the views of our membership. Branches throughout the country, including in Liverpool, have passed motions calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state. Good international citizenship also emphasises the importance of multilateralism. With France set to formally recognise Palestine at the United Nations in September, and Canada taking steps to do the same, now is the moment for Labor to make good on our party platform and demonstrate the Albanese Government's commitment to principled foreign policy, to be a good international citizen. Recognising Palestine will not only honour the voices of our community and our party but also reaffirm Australia's commitment to justice, human rights and principled leadership on the world stage, just as our community would like us to do.
