TRANSCRIPT:
A solemn moment marked the start of Question Time as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led remembrances for all those affected by the Hamas attack in Israel two years ago.
"The 7th October 2023 was a day of pain and terror for Jewish people around the world. Their attack on a music festival that promoted friends, love and infinite freedom, an event attended by so many young people, underlined a core truth - Hamas stands in opposition to all humanity and all that we value as human beings. Two years on, we remember those who were lost on that day, the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Jewish Holocaust. Over 1,200 lives taken without mercy."
He was joined by Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
"October 7 was a brutal reminder of the depths of human cruelty and of the evil that flourishes when hatred is armed. On this day, two years ago, a clear blue October sky was punctured by rockets from Gaza as festival-goers at the Nova Music Festival welcomed the sunrise. The celebration and unity of that moment would be torn apart."
But even as both leaders expressed resolute solidarity with the Jewish population, their speeches underlined their different political approaches to the ongoing war in Gaza.
AA: "We will always stand against anti-Semitism, as should everyone. We must break this cycle of violence and build something better. Australia has consistently been part of the international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the hostages, for aid to flow and a two-state solution."
SL: "To our great shame, under the leadership of the Albanese Labor government, Australia has not stood with the people of Israel nor with the United States as they have sought to dismantle Hamas and establish the conditions for peace."
Both leaders condemned, in the strongest terms, some shocking pro-Hamas graffiti painted onto a Melbourne billboard, with the Prime Minister labelling it terrorist propaganda while Ms Ley urged the government to enlist ASIO and the federal police to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Opposition leader also met Danny Majzner, who survived the October 7 attack on his Kibbutz Be’eri.
His brother, Galit Carbone, was killed in the assault.
At a meeting at parliament house, Mr Majzner told Ms Lee he was dissatisfied with the government's approach.
"If I just may, I want to really ask the Australian government and the PM to take a more active part in trying to solve this conflict, huge conflict with the Hamas and Israel and the PA (Palestinian Authority). I don't feel like the Prime Minister is involved enough, and I think Israel and Australia should be allies again."
The first item on the government's agenda for the new parliamentary session was the introduction of new laws to improve the emergency call network, following the latest Optus outage which has been linked to at least three deaths.
The law will enshrine a Triple Zero custodian to provide independent oversight of the emergency system - a measure which was first recommended by a government-commissioned review following the first Optus outage in 2023.
Communications Minister Anika Wells says the bill provides greater reassurance for Australians, but has continued to lay the blame for the outage squarely on Optus.
"Legislating a triple-zero custodian will help, but there is no silver bullet solution for corporate failure. If a telco fails Australians like Optus did, they will face significant consequences, and that's why this morning, I met with the CEOs of Optus, Telstra and TPG Vodafone ahead of the approaching natural disaster season. There are no excuses and I made that crystal clear today."]]
The legislation also commits telcos to real time reporting of Triple Zero outages, tests of the emergency system during maintenance and upgrades, and mandatory improvement plans after failures occur.
Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh indicated the Coalition would likely support the bill, but questions why it has taken so long for the government to act.
"The Bean Review made the recommendations, yet, here we are, and there's been four deaths. There is nothing more serious than protecting Australians, and that has failed. Optus has failed Australians, their customers, and the government has failed in implementing the recommendations. We are here a year and a half later - is it okay that the Minister's throwing this through the parliament just before we close for the year?"
The government is hoping it will pass through the Senate by the end of the month.
