Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Doorstop, Parliament House
8 August 2025
Topics: Government economic round table; Netanyahu decision to occupy Gaza; Palestinian woman’s visa
E&OE
Journalist
It’s clear that the government wants to bring to its economic roundtable a blueprint, if you will, on encouraging more houses to be built. It seems to have attitudes on planning, on technology, use of modular homes, but they’re miles behind on building 1.2 million homes by 2029.
Senator Cash
Well, sadly, prior to the election, Australians believed Anthony Albanese when he said he would promise them housing solutions. The fact of the matter is, Anthony Albanese and the Labor government have delivered nothing more and nothing less than housing chaos, which they continue to deny but the facts show them out to be what they are, people who misled Australians. In relation to their signature housing Australia Future Fund they promised Australians that this fund would build 30,000 additional homes. After nearly two years, the fund has built a total of 17 homes. That is an absolute indictment on Anthony Albanese and the Labor government. As I said, Mr. Albanese, prior to the election, he promised housing solutions. He’s delivered nothing but housing chaos.
Journalist
On Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take and occupy all of Gaza. Does this not worry you, given it’s very likely to cause more violence and a lot more death?
Senator Cash
Well, ultimately, the way the war is actually conducted on the ground, operationally and by way of tactics, that is a matter for the Israeli Government and people need to remember the reason that the Israelis are in the place that they are today is because Hamas the listed terrorist organisation. They commenced this war with the slaughter of innocent Israeli civilians on October 7th, 2023 but since that time, they have refused calls to release the hostages and lay down their arms. But also they have refused to properly participate in the peace negotiation processes. I mean, the recent ceasefire talks in Doha, which the Israelis were actually participating in, they came to an end because Hamas refused to actually participate. So this is a matter for the Israeli government, the operation of how the war is run, the tactics, et cetera. That is a matter for the Israeli government. But you cannot ever turn away from the fact that Hamas commenced this war. Hamas tomorrow could end the suffering of its own civilians by laying down their arms and releasing the hostages.
Journalist
Can’t you be critical of Hamas as well as the Israeli response that Israel, that Israel, Israel, as a modern democracy, is going to be judged at a higher level and a higher standard than a terrorist organisation?
Senator Cash
Let’s be very clear, the charter of Hamas, albeit slightly updated and softened quite deliberately, makes it explicitly clear they are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. What does that mean? It means until every Israeli is slaughtered – in other words, dead – Hamas will not stop. Israel has a right which is supported by the global community, to defend both itself and its people. Perhaps the focus of the global community, but in particular that of Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese, they need to, quite frankly, get off their moralistic high horses and start focusing on the real enemy, the terrorist organization Hamas that slaughters innocent women, men and children. They could end this war tomorrow.
Journalist
Are you not aghast at the children who also are innocent and have been killed?
Senator Cash
The slaughter of any innocent civilian is utterly devastating, and we have made that incredibly clear. As the Coalition, I have also made it incredibly clear that we want to see aid flowing into Gaza, but not to Hamas, not to be diverted by Hamas, the terrorists. We want to see that aid getting directly to Palestinian civilians. The aid must get to the Palestinian civilians, and Israel has a responsibility to ensure that that occurs, as do the international agencies to work with the Israelis to get that aid to where it needs to go – the Palestinian civilians. But again, you need to look at where the ultimate responsibility lies, and that is squarely at the feet of Hamas.
Journalist
Senator, the Albanese government has been putting a lot of work into building an international coalition for the recognition of a Palestinian state. Should they instead be spending their time putting pressure on Arab states to take over the governance of Gaza?
Senator Cash
It’s a really good question. They should actually be spending their time on calling on Hamas to end the war. And this is the ultimate question that people need to ask themselves, why is Hamas not releasing the hostages? Why is Hamas not laying down its arms because they are dedicated to the destruction of Israel? Penny Wong, unfortunately, has, instead of focusing on these talks about the premature recognition of a Palestinian state. All that does is embolden Hamas. Hamas themselves have already responded to these statements by those who want to recognize a Palestinian state, while Hamas is still terrorists, are still in control of Gaza, exploiting their own people. They see that as October the seventh, that is the fruits of the appalling terrorist attack that we all saw. So perhaps people like Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese need to actually refocus their attention where it should be ending the war tomorrow, and that can end if the global community stood up and called out Hamas for what it is, a terrorist organisation that slaughters not just Israelis. It uses its own civilians. They don’t care if their civilians die as casualties of war, that is who Hamas is. That’s where the global attention should be.
Journalist
Just on another matter, there’s reports of a Palestinian woman who has allegedly put up posts celebrating the October 7 attacks of being granted a visa to enter Australia. Have you sought a briefing from the department on that matter? What should happen to her visa?
Senator Cash
If the reports are true, the visa should never have been granted in the first place. The visa should now be cancelled. The woman should never come near Australia. I’d also like to hear from Tony Burke as to what action he’s taken since he became aware of these reports. I also want an investigation into the department as to how such a visa could in the first place be granted. If you support the slaughter by Hamas of innocent mums, dads and children, you have no place in Australia. We do not want to see you here, but Tony Burke, I know he’s in hiding today, but he has a lot of questions to answer, and I think all Australians would be appalled that someone with these views who supports basically Hamas, a terrorist group, has expressed these views publicly that they’re In writing for all to see has been granted a visa to our country.
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