Community members gathered outside Labor MP for Solomon, Luke Gosling’s office, on May 15 to commemorate the 1948 Nakba and condemn Labor’s complicity in the Palestinian genocide.
“Luke Gosling has blood on his hands,” said a spokesperson from Palestine Action Group Garramilla.
Since October 7, 2023, Gosling has refused to meet with Muslim constituents calling for ceasefire. He remains in support of the military-industrial complex, despite Australia exporting lethal arms to Israel.
“Like other Labor politicians, he has stood and watched the genocide happen and tried to wash his hands of complicity in genocide.
“Genocide Gosling is doing his very best to expand our complicity in the Northern Territory by expanding the military-industrial complex here.”
Every year, 2500 US marines rotate through the NT supposedly to enhance cooperation, readiness and regional security. Pine Gap, the top-secret US spy facility near Alice Springs, contributes signals’ intelligence to the United States and its allies, including Israel.
Gosling supports an increase to the defence budget, infrastructure and personnel in the NT. Last year, he argued in The Strategist that “Defence must improve its social licence in the Northern Territory to operate more effectively”.
Defence personnel have been told to assist in the preparation of Nitmiluk National Park for dry season camping. Gosling is hopeful that this will help change minds about the significant expansion of defence projects and they will be “more likely to accept the trade-offs inherent in housing developments for defence personnel”.
Another controversial project is the bulldozing of Binbybara/Lee Point, an old-growth forest significant to the Larrakia people, for defence housing.
A spokesperson from the Australian Education Union (AEU) highlighted the links between Indigenous oppression in Palestine and Australia. “Union members should care about Palestine because the story of Palestine is the story of the colonised world,” he said.
“This is a story of stolen lands, erased cultures, racist settlers, of empire and violence. This story happened here in Australia and it’s happening now in Palestine, right before our eyes; it’s happening much more aggressively than ever before.”
The AEU NT branch passed a motion in solidarity with Palestine on May 4. The motion includes union support for teachers choosing to highlight Palestinian voices in their teaching programs and urging the broader union movement demand the federal government take immediate action to achieve a ceasefire by “ending all investments and economic and military trade with Israel”, among other measures.
As Israel continues its relentless bombing campaign destroying more hospitals and Palestinian lives, pressure is building on Gosling to respond.
“Israel is an apartheid state,” said Haskell Musry from Jews Against the Occupation '48, who previously tried to meet with Gosling. “Australia is entangled in this genocide, sending weapons, equipment and intelligence to Israel. Shamefully, the Labor party won’t even use the word ‘genocide’.”
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