Opposition leader Peter Dutton has refused to accept a motion by Anthony Albanese condemning the October 7 attack, accusing the prime minister of "trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth".
Dutton said the motion moved by Albanese, which passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, was politically motivated, "and for that, the prime minister should be condemned".
It follows political leaders , which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. About 250 people were taken hostage, of whom 97 are still held captive, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's subsequent bombardment of Gaza has killed 41,909 people, according to the enclave's heath ministry, and plunged the territory into a deep humanitarian crisis.
The motion came as pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Parliament House on Tuesday, joined by crossbench politicians, including Fatima Payman.
'October 7 will always be a day of pain'
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Albanese said the past year has been one of "pain, loss and grief".
"For so many, this past year must have felt like a cruel eternity," he said.
"October 7 will always be a day of pain. As we mourn and reflect, we also reaffirm a fundamental principle of our shared humanity that every innocent life matters, every Israeli, every Palestinian, every Lebanese, every single innocent life.
"It is the terrorists who close their eyes to that powerful, simple truth. It is the terrorists of Hamas that are not only enemies of Israel. They are an enemy of the Palestinian people, as well."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese moved a motion condemning the Hamas-led October 7 attack in parliament. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
He said it is important to recognise that the "loss and grief" has been "deeply felt here in Australia".
"Sorrow knows no boundaries. It recognises no differences. Since the atrocities of October 7, Jewish Australians have felt the shadows of the past creeping into the present," he said.
"We condemn the poison of antisemitism, whatever form it takes. This is a pain the Jewish people should never have had to endure again."
Albanese's motion included repeated "unequivocal condemnation" of Hamas' attack on Israel and called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of the remaining hostages, along with condemnation of antisemitism "in all its forms".
It reiterated Australia's "consistent position to call for the protection of civilian lives in adherence to international law", and mourned the death of all innocent civilians, recognising the number of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza.
The motion supported ongoing international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza and Lebanon. It called for Iran to "cease its destabilising actions, including through terrorist organisations the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas", condemned Iran's attacks on Israel and recognised Israel's right to defend itself against these attacks.
The motion stressed the need to "break the cycle of violence", for a ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon, and affirms support
It also reaffirmed that symbols of terror and discord are "unwelcome in Australia and undermine our nation's peace and security".
'The government has sought to walk both sides'
Responding in parliament, Dutton said the Coalition could not support Labor's motion at the moment, and had been unable to find a "bipartisan" agreement.
"This government has sought to walk both sides of the street in relation to what has been a very divisive debate for our country," Dutton said.
The prime minister and opposition leader met earlier on Tuesday to discuss a motion that would commemorate the October 7 attack. Both leaders in Melbourne and Sydney on Monday night.
Dutton said the motion "was supposed to be about October 7, about the loss of human life in the circumstances ... that people across the world have now come to understand".
"Regrettably, we’ve not been able to arrive at a position of bipartisanship in relation to this matter," Dutton said.
He accused the prime minister of "trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth", which was something the Coalition would not support.
"So in the motion moved by the prime minister today is not just words of comfort and words of recognition in relation to October 7, and I acknowledge those words in his motion.
"But of course, it goes beyond that, and it’s an extension of the way in which the prime minister has conducted the debate and himself over the course of last 12 months, trying to please all people in this debate."
Dutton said the Coalition put a "more than reasonable position" to Albanese, "and the prime minister has rejected that position for his own political domestic advancement".
"For that, the prime minister should be condemned," he said.
The motion ultimately passed 85-54 the House of Representatives where the federal government has a majority, with support from some teal and independent MPs.
The Greens abstained from voting, saying the motion did not go far enough and failed to condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu's government, according to The Guardian.
