MEDIA RELEASE – MINISTER PENNY WONG’S PEACE DEAL CLAIM OFFENSIVE

Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia

11 OCTOBER 2025

MINISTER PENNY WONG’S PEACE DEAL CLAIM OFFENSIVE

Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s attempt to claim some credit for Donald Trump’s Middle East peace deal is absurd and offensive.

The Albanese Government had nothing to do with this outcome and for the Foreign Minister to suggest otherwise is pure political deception.

This was Mr Trump’s deal, Netanyahu’s decision, and the courage of others that made it happen, not a single act of diplomacy by the Albanese Government.

While Trump was brokering peace, Minister Wong was busy lecturing our allies and picking fights with Israel. Now she wants to pretend she was part of the process. It’s shameless revisionism.

For two years, Minister Wong’s approach to the Middle East has been divisive, inconsistent, and damaging to our alliances. She’s alienated Israel, confused our allies, and emboldened Hamas.

Labor’s recognition of a Palestinian state rewarded terror, undermined Israel’s security, and put Australia out of step with the United States, the very ally now delivering peace.

While Minister Wong now praises Donald Trump, she spent the past two years criticising and distancing Australia from US leadership.

Now she’s clinging to Trump’s success to paper over her own failures. You don’t get to burn bridges for two years and then claim you built them.

Labor refused to rule out arresting the Israeli Prime Minister under an ICC warrant.

And when Australia was being praised by Hamas and condemned by the United States, Minister Wong claimed that “being in step with the international community.”

As Josh Frydenberg rightly said, this is one of the most shameful periods in Australian diplomatic history.

Minister Wong’s attempt to claim credit for a peace she didn’t shape, and a process she undermined, is a distortion of reality and an insult to every ally who actually did the work.

Only the Albanese government could repackage failure as contribution.

ENDS