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I could not stay silent in the face of innocent civilians being slaughtered...

Dumped cabinet minister Ed Husic believes speaking out on the conflict in Gaza may have contributed to his demotion as he fired shots at factional bosses behind the decision. 

The former industry and science minister lashed Richard Marles, with the move to ditch him thought to have been signed off by the Victorian right faction leader and deputy prime minister.

Speaking frankly after his ousting, Mr Husic said Mr Marles had chosen to “wield the factional club to reshape the ministry”.

“When people look at a deputy prime minister, they expect to see a statesman, not a factional assassin,” he told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

Asked if Mr Marles put his ambition to boost his numbers ahead of the good of the Labor Party and government, Mr Husic said “a lot of people would draw that conclusion”.

The first Muslim to be made a cabinet minister, Mr Husic agreed his willingness to speak out following “the horrors of October 7”, when Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, triggering a large-scale assault on Gaza, may have factored into his relegation to the backbench.

“I think it’s been a factor in there,” he said.

“Would I do things differently? I don’t think so.

“I don’t think I could ever stay silent in the face of innocent civilians being slaughtered in their tens of thousands and being starved out of Gaza.”

 

Following Labor’s resounding win at the polls, the party’s progressive left and more conservative right factions have been carving up the limited ministerial spots.

Mr Husic was dumped to rebalance the ledger between the NSW and Victorian right, with the former over-represented in cabinet as spots are decided on a proportional basis between factions and states.

Mark Dreyfus also lost his spot as attorney-general in the factional antics.

He will be replaced by Victorian MP Sam Rae, a factional ally of Mr Marles.

 

Another Victorian from the right, Daniel Mulino, has been promoted to the ministry, as have senators Jess Walsh and Tim Ayres from the left.

Western Australian MP Anne Aly, the first Muslim woman elected to federal parliament, is expected to be elevated to the senior ministry. 

Former leader of Tasmanian Labor, Bec White, told Sky News she had not made a deal to secure an assistant minister spot ahead of her successful run in the federal seat of Lyons.

The prime minister will assign portfolios this week.

Mr Husic said he had “walked the political desert” before and would keep fighting for a technology-fuelled growth agenda from the back bench.

“We need to burn through the timidity that has shackled us in the first term,” he said. 

“We are going to need to make big changes in a world that is changing fast to ensure the country stands on its own two feet.”

As science and industry minister, he oversaw the set-up of a multi-billion dollar manufacturing fund and pushed quantum technology as a major opportunity for Australia.

 

https://michaelwest.com.au/news/axed-ministers-angry-response-to-factional-assassin/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

dear minister.....

 

Sue Wareham

An open letter to Penny Wong seeking action on Palestine

 

Dear Minister,

Responding to war crimes committed against the Palestinian people

Congratulations on Labor’s achievement of another term of government. We hope this term will be one in which everything possible is done to promote, support and invest in peace, without which Australians - and others - cannot be secure.

Genocide in Palestine continues to stand as one of the most urgent challenges to peace, international law, and human morality today. In over 19 months, diplomatic mechanisms have failed to prevent, or to punish widespread and systematic violations of international law, for which the people of Gaza have paid an unimaginable price.

We are writing again to you today to urge you to reset your strategy on Palestine, use all the tools at your disposal to protect civilians in Gaza, and restore meaning to Australia’s stated commitment to international law.

This is especially imperative today, as Israel has publicly announced its intention to commit further war crimes and violations of international law:

  • After comprehensively blocking aid since March 2025 — a crime in itself — Israel has announced plans to deliver humanitarian supplies through military hubs. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has described this as “using aid as a bait” and emphasised that the proposal endangers civilian lives and undermines the principles of impartial and independent humanitarian aid.
  • The Israeli cabinet recently approved plans to capture Gaza militarily and occupy it. These plans are in direct violation of the July 2024 ruling from the International Court of Justice that Israel’s occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory was illegal and must end “as rapidly as possible”. This plan also entails the war crime of unlawful transfer of civilians.

The ICJ ruled in July 2024 that “all States are under an obligation …..not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. This obligation exists regardless of individual States’ perception of their ability to make an impact.

Australia, however, has continued to aid and assist both Israel’s occupation and its assault on Gaza, by maintaining a close political relationship, a trade and defence office in Jerusalem, and approving dozens of active permits for the export of lethal military equipment to Israel. Even in recent months, we’ve seen announcements of agreements involving Israeli weapons companies Rafael and ESC BAZ.

Australia has failed to take decisive actions to prevent further atrocities, as is required by international law and basic human morals. There have been no measures taken that are remotely comparable to those taken against Russia for its invasion and brutality in Ukraine.

The Medical Association for Prevention of War calls on you to:

  • Strongly and publicly reject Israeli plans for forced displacement and militarised aid delivery, and demand that UNRWA and other existing aid agencies within Gaza receive full protection and access to safely provide aid for the people there.
  • Endorse and actively support efforts to reopen humanitarian corridors for medical evacuations from Gaza to the East Jerusalem hospital network with clear, timely, and non-arbitrary coordination mechanisms.
  • Cease all political, military, and economic ties with Israel.
  • Publicly affirm full support for the International Criminal Court and its arrest warrants for both Israeli and Hamas leaders for their respective crimes.
  • Work with other nations to ensure accountability for all those — Israeli and Palestinian — who have committed war crimes. Impunity for the crime of attacking health facilities and workers has particularly grave implications for healthcare in war zones anywhere.
  • Publicly support calls for Palestinian self-determination and engage with frameworks that ensure justice and equity for all.

A group of more than 30 United Nations experts has called the catastrophe in Gaza “one of the most ostentatious and merciless manifestations of the desecration of human life and dignity". They called not for more words but for “enforceable action to immediately end the carnage and ensure accountability for perpetrators".

History will record what action you take on behalf of Australia in response to what the UN experts, and many others, call an “unfolding genocide”.

Sincerely,

Dr Sue Wareham OAM

President, Medical Association for Prevention of War

[email protected]

Website: here

This letter was sent to Foreign Minister Penny Wong by email on 14 May. It was copied to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/05/an-open-letter-to-penny-wong-seeking-action-on-palestine/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.