ALBANESE’S LEGACY- HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME

Sadly, the 13th of August 2025 will be remembered as a disgraceful moment in our nation’s history. It will also be Anthony Albanese’s lasting legacy.

It is, of course, the day the Albanese Labor Government was praised by terrorists for a foreign policy decision.

When Mr. Albanese unilaterally announced Australia would recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly, he claimed it was a “practical contribution to peace.”

It wasn’t about peace. It was a gift to Hamas.

Within just 48 hours, Hamas, the same terrorist group responsible for the October 7 massacre, hostage-taking, and rocket attacks into Israel, publicly praised our prime minister’s decision.

Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a co-founder of Hamas, called it a “step towards achieving justice,” welcoming recognition as validation of his violent campaign. 

When terrorists applaud your policy, it’s a sign you’re on the wrong side of history — and you’ve handed them exactly what they wanted.

For decades, Australia’s position - under both the Coalition and Labor - was clear and cautious: recognition of a Palestinian state must come after a genuine peace process, not before.

It must be contingent on irrevocable renunciation of terrorism, secure borders, demilitarisation, and free elections. Albanese has scrapped that approach. 

Now, recognition will proceed in September regardless of whether Hamas is defeated, the hostages freed, or security guarantees in place.

This is not statesmanship - it’s dangerous naivety.

Recognition becomes pointless if the entity hasn’t earned it.

Rewarding terrorists with statehood before peace is secured enables their strategic objectives - most notably, legitimising their rule in Gaza. 

Mr Albanese may cite conditions - for instance, that the Palestinian Authority promises no role for Hamas, demilitarisation, recognition of Israel, free elections, governance reform, and transparency.

But none have been achieved. Worse, there is no enforcement mechanism, no timeline, no accountability.

What if these pledges are broken? Will recognition be revoked or silently ignored?

Serious governments ask these basic questions before such a unilateral move. 

This premature recognition stands in stark contrast to the United States, our closest ally.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has explicitly warned that the recognition announcement by France scuttled negotiations with Hamas.

Albanese’s decision isolates Australia diplomatically and endangers hard-won alliances, undermining our reputation as a measured, credible partner in global affairs.

Let’s be abundantly clear: recognition alone does not end conflict. Despite Albanese’s rhetoric, no free flow of aid, no release of hostages, no de-escalation of violence, and no peace treaty will emerge from this symbolic act.

Hamas retains control, and Palestinian public support for Hamas remains troublingly high—around 40% of Palestinians, with nearly half in Gaza, still back them. 

During my recent interview on Sky News with Sharri Markson, I reiterated that this is not foreign policy - it is appeasement.

Applauded by terrorists, this becomes Albanese’s legacy.

He has been repeatedly exposed. First, through incontrovertible praise from Hamas, then through attempts to spin the truth and blame the media.

He even tried to dismiss journalists as complicit in “Hamas propaganda.” 

What we’ve seen is a desperate Prime Minister who realises he has handed a massive propaganda victory to the terrorists of Hamas.

It is almost laughable that he tried to blame the media and the opposition for pointing out what is actually happening – Hamas is delighted by his decision to recognise a Palestinian state.

Australia deserves better. As Coalition, we would reverse this reckless recognition. We stand for a principled, peace-first approach.

We won’t recognise Palestine while hostages are still being held.

We won’t recognise Palestine that is governed by Hamas.

We won’t recognise a Palestine that hasn’t arisen through a two-state process.

We won’t recognise a Palestine that doesn’t live in peace with Israel.

Recognition can only come at the end of a genuine peace process.

Recognition is not a starting point - it is a powerful tool for securing peace, not conceding to terror.

Australians want peace in the Middle East. So do I. But peace is not achieved through symbolic gestures.

It is forged through strength, leverage, and unwavering commitment to negotiation and security.

Mr Albanese has abdicated that responsibility in favour of a political gesture that rewards terror, risks our alliances, and makes peace harder to achieve.

This moment should be a wake-up call. Labor may have made the choice, but the consequences will be on their watch - not ours.

If Hamas plays any role in a recognised state, that is Labor’s responsibility. If Israel’s right to exist is not universally acknowledged, that is Labor’s failure. If the new Palestinian entity is militarised or unstable, that too is Labor’s fault.

This is more than foreign policy; it is about safeguarding Australian values. We must stand firm for peace - and reject this reckless appeasement.

WA Liberals, we face a pivotal moment. This is our chance to make it known: Albanese's unilateral recognition of Palestine marks a low point for Australia’s standing in the world.

We must work to restore bona fide diplomacy - one based on negotiation, leverage, and security.

Only then can there be a true, lasting two-state solution and peace that lasts.

Let us not look back on this moment with regret, but stand resolute, informed, and determined to protect our national interests and values.

Focus on the economy, stupid.

With terrorists applauding Australia’s foreign policy Mr Albanese must abandon his reckless stance on Palestine and turn his focus back to home and the cost-of-living crisis hitting Australian families.

We care deeply about those caught in war, but our Prime Minister’s first duty is to help Australians here at home.

Labor has delivered weaker growth, a household recession and the biggest decline in living standards in the developed world.

And the future doesn’t look any brighter with the RBA lowering its forecasts for productivity and economic growth - which all means lower living standards for Australians.

The cost of everything is up under Labor:

·      Electricity up 32%

·      Gas up 30%

·      Rents up 20%

·      Insurance up 35%

·      Food up 14%

·      Health up 15%

·      Education up 17%

Anglicare reports that a full-time minimum wage worker is left with just $33 a week after paying rent, food and transport. That is not a cost-of-living crisis, it is a cost-of-survival crisis.

Government spending is spiralling out of control while debt is at record highs, creating massive funding cliffs for future generations.

And make no mistake, when Labor runs out of money, it comes after yours with higher taxes.

That’s what is likely to happen when this week’s so-called roundtable unfolds.

As an opposition, we will be constructive where we can and critical where we must.

We welcome the economic reform roundtable, and we hope that good ideas come out of that process to strengthen our economy. 

But we need more than words and more than a meeting; we need a plan.

And despite claiming it doesn’t want to rule anything out the Treasurer has taken industrial relations off the table and the PM is now flip flopping on a discussion around tax despite a whole day dedicated to it at the Roundtable.

We've said that we are up for a conversation about tax reform. 

There is no question that we could collect tax more efficiently and in a less distortionary way than we do. 

But that is not an excuse to raise taxes on Australians. 

We are concerned the Prime Minister and the Treasurer are building the ground for higher taxes on Australians and more union influence on employers. 

Higher taxes and more union influence are the last thing our economy needs right now in a productivity, business investment and living standards crisis.