Labor Criticized for Suppressing 'Dissent' on Gaza as State Lawmakers Advocate for Palestinian Recognition

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A NSW MP claims senior Labor Party officials told him “not to speak” during a debate around Palestinian statehood at a party conference last year.

As the federal government faces continued questioning over the potential timeline for when Australia would recognise a Palestinian state, the upper house MP Anthony D’Adam has accused the party of “gagging” dissent in the prime minister’s home state.

He was allegedly silenced on the question of Palestinian statehood at the party’s state conference in July 2024 over fears his words would “harm the Labor Party”.

“It is often argued that we should keep our debates inside party forums, but what option are we given if even in the forums where debates are supposed to occur, dissenting voices are not allowed to be heard,” he said in an address to parliament on Thursday afternoon.

At the end of the NSW Labor conference, a motion was passed challenging the federal government to prioritise recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state.

D’Adam went on to claim he was “held down, abused” and told to resign last week, after he criticised Labor NSW Premier Chris Minns on the Palestinian issue and the Sydney Harbour Bridge protest, which Minns has vehemently opposed.

He said this demonstrated a “climate of intimidation that is corrosive of genuine debate”, stating the party was growing “centralised and authoritarian in its disposition”.

Minns said he didn’t contribute to the debate D’Adam was referring to and wouldn’t comment on it specifically, but that robust debate was the nature of the Labor party room.

“If you go in and stand up and make a strong point, make a sharp point about your colleagues to your colleagues, then obviously people may remonstrate with you,” Minns told reporters in Sydney.

“It’s been like that for a very long time. I expect it to be that into the future. I’m in a bit of a tough spot because the convention for us is that we don’t speak about the workings of the party room, but I acknowledge it’s given the speech last night.”

State MPs push to recognise Palestinian state

The Albanese government is facing growing pressure at a state level to recognise a Palestinian state imminently.

Although the federal government has said statehood is a matter of “when, not if”, it has been hesitant to set a timeline, with the prime minister previously saying any UN resolution would need to guarantee the designated terror group Hamas played no role in the future nation.

Last month, Queensland MP Michael Healy posted on Facebook, urging his federal colleagues to recognise a Palestinian state, encouraging them to “make it happen”.

At the end of July, Victorian Labor Party members joined their NSW colleagues and voted to demand the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, also urging the government to impose sanctions on Israel.

While non-binding, the motions represent the intention of members, often influencing party policy.

Labor’s national party platform, the result of state conferences, explicitly calls for the recognition of a Palestinian state, as well as the right of Israel to exist as a state as part of a two-state solution.

However, former cabinet minister Ed Husic last week revealed there was a “deep feeling” across the backbench and within caucus that it was right to recognise a Palestinian state, and urged the prime minister to capitalise on international momentum.

Despite a barrage of questions as parliament resumed this month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to indicate the timeline of recognition.

The Coalition continues to reiterate its support for a two-state solution, with several frontbenchers, including Liberal MP Julian Leeser, stating recognition should come “at the end of a peace process”.