Crossbench MPs including David Pocock and Sophie Scamps are set to introduce a private member’s bill that would prohibit Australian defence equipment from being used by the Israeli military, including components of the F‑35 fighter jet. The proposal, to be presented on Monday, seeks to compel the Albanese government to meet its international human‑rights obligations.
The bill would outlaw the supply of defence technology or services that could be employed in ways that violate Australia’s human‑rights commitments. Its primary focus is on parts of the F‑35 produced in Australia and supplied to the Israeli air force for strikes in Gaza, which critics say contribute to civilian casualties.
Pocock said he has received thousands of emails from Australians concerned about the Gaza conflict, while Scamps warned that the legislation would prevent the government and companies from being unknowingly complicit in war crimes. The proposal has drawn criticism of the prime minister for not following the UK and other countries in banning trade with Israeli settlements, and of the foreign minister’s description of Australia’s F‑35 contributions as non‑lethal.
The bill is supported by human‑rights advocates such as former Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs and Rawan Arraf of the Australian Centre for International Justice. It would require defence firms and Commonwealth entities to report and intervene on genocide risks in their operations and supply chains, and would establish an independent anti‑genocide commissioner.
Labor is not expected to support the private member’s bill.
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