The Animal Justice Party's Victorian MP, Georgie Purcell is recorded on Hansard in the Victorian Parliament as follows:

Middle East conflict

Thursday,2 November 2023

https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/parliamentary-activity/hansard/hansard-details/HANSARD-974425065-24184#1798
Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (17:30): (572) My adjournment matter is for the Premier, and the action I seek is for her to advocate to the Australian government for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank. Like many have expressed in this place and the other place, I mourn deeply for the thousands of innocent Israelis killed on 7 October. Nothing can justify the loss of civilian life, and I acknowledge the way that this is compounded by intergenerational trauma for many in the Jewish community. It is not lost on me that at the time these recent attacks began we were voting to ban the Nazi salute in this place, and I condemn the rise of antisemitism around the country and the world that has come as a result.

The safety of Jewish communities and Palestinian freedom are not opposing causes. It goes without saying that my thoughts are with the families of those taken hostage, and I hope that they will be returned safely to their loved ones. I also acknowledge that actions of the Israeli occupation forces are separate to the people of Israel and the Jewish community across the world, and I highlight the remarkable advocacy and teachings of many Jewish organisations and individuals calling for peace and safety. I also acknowledge that 7 October is not where this all began, but rather Palestinians have lived under occupation for 75 years. Violence can never justify violence, and nothing justifies the continued silence on Palestinian oppression. Weaponisation of these attacks to fuel the indiscriminate and wholesale killing of innocent Palestinians must not only be condemned but be stopped for good.

The Animal Justice Party represents animals, people and the planet. These atrocities impact all three. Our core values are kindness, equality, rationality and non-violence. What is occurring embodies none of these things. The distressing images of Palestinians rescuing animals from rubble, feeding dogs and cats in the street and treating the wounds of equines have reminded us that even for victims and in an impossible crisis, there is humanity and there is good. Even with nothing, people are continuing to extend their compassion. One of these people was Loay, a dedicated volunteer from Sulala Animal Rescue. He was killed on 8 October at just 19 years of age. While I acknowledge that as members in this place we have little bearing on conflict in the Middle East, we must use our platforms to do what is right and advocate for peace and for freedom, and I hope that our Premier can do so on behalf of not only the Victorian Parliament but all of the people that we represent, because the plight of Palestinians is a cause for liberation to all.

Wednesday,15 May 2024

https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/parliamentary-activity/hansard/hansard-details/HANSARD-974425065-26561

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (18:02): I rise to speak in support of this petition tabled by my friends in the Greens today. I stood in this place in March calling for this government to finally end its partnership with Israeli weapons companies in light of the planned invasion of Rafah, but today bombs are being dropped on 1.4 million people, nearly half of them children. They are currently sheltering in Rafah after being told to evacuate to there for safety.

While using the very weapons this government supports, Israeli military spokespeople have made claims such as ‘the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy’, ‘the only thing that needs to enter Gaza are hundreds of tons of explosives not an ounce of aid’ and ‘there will be no electricity, no food, no fuel’. Throughout this same period I have been in communication with two Palestinian families after supporting their visa applications to Australia. Muhannad, Razan, Millar Mohammad, Mai and Maha put everything they had put everything that they had into subclass 600 visa applications as they attempted to flee to Australia. Due to Israel’s ongoing bombardment, baby Millar, who was born on 5 October, was unable to even obtain a birth certificate, only a hospital discharge paper. I learned last week that they had their applications rejected because they do not have stable employment. How can the government expect Gazans to have stable employment in a city where over 72 per cent of schools and 100 per cent of universities are gone, where hospitals do not operate and where homes are tents?

Muhannad was surprised that I was willing to even share his story in this place. He did not believe that anyone here was committed to helping him and his family. That is something that we should all be deeply ashamed of. He said in a message to me:

Unfortunately I don’t know what to say, because there were hopes and in a moment all hopes collapsed in a row.

With no way out of Gaza, the only hope for Muhannad and his family is a ceasefire. His only hope is compassion, and we should be offering it.

I share this story because at the very same time that the Australian government sends aid to Palestinians it is shipping weapons to their killers. In this place we are told there is little that we can do as state MPs, and that is just not true. What we do have is a platform, and with that comes a responsibility to use it. When this is taught in history books in years to come, we will be known as the decision-makers of this time, and I am proud to stand with many of my crossbench colleagues and the thousands who signed this petition on the right side of history this evening. Free Palestine!