Israel-Palestine Conflict

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:05): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Attorney in his own capacity, and representing the Premier, a question regarding Palestine.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: According to recent media articles in The Advertiser, the Premier recently made comments in support of a Palestinian state at what has been described as a heated Islamic function. In addition to declaring the state government agrees that recognition of a Palestine state is essential to the creation of peace, the Premier is quoted as having said:

We fully support the announcement by the Foreign Minister (Penny Wong) that Australia sees the recognition of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel as essential to the creation of a just and enduring peace.

We stand alongside the Palestinian people in their aspiration to live in peace, to live in prosperity, in an independent democratic state.

And we acknowledge the Palestinian people's right to demand immediate recognition of statehood, just as we acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

My questions to the Attorney and the Premier are:

1. Is the Attorney—and, indeed, the Premier—able to reiterate in this place in more detail the state government's position on the recognition of a Palestinian state, especially in light of decisions that have been made at a federal level and on behalf of the nation?

2. Do the Attorney and Premier acknowledge that over 13,000 children, let alone adults, have been killed in the preceding seven months, and that this has contributed to the local Palestinian and Islamic communities' frustration with the state government?

3. Why did it take so long for the Premier to address the local Islamic community in South Australia?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for her question. I can reiterate in this chamber the long-held Labor position of a two-state solution in the Middle East. That was given effect and voice at a recent vote on the floor of the United Nations, where Australia supported an overwhelming majority of countries in the international community calling for just that. To be very clear, it has been a longstanding position of the Labor Party. The Premier endorsed essentially what our foreign minister, Penny Wong, has been saying for some time, and certainly I support the longstanding Labor Party position for a two-state solution.

In relation to the many, many thousands of deaths we have seen in that part of the world, I don't think there's anyone who looks on from Australia who is not horrified at the completely unnecessary loss of life, from October last year, with attacks by Hamas, to the thousands and thousands of Palestinian women, children and men who have lost their lives since then. We desire here to see a lasting peace forged and, as we have said, a two-state solution is a longstanding Labor policy and, as has been outlined, is needed in relation to that.

The second part of the honourable member's question I think refers to the Premier speaking at an event. I think that has been on the cards for quite some time and it was negotiating a suitable time for that to happen, when it suited all parties involved.