2024-08-29
ACT Treasurer and Labor Leader Andrew Barr has today rejected calls to divest from companies complicit in the State of Israel’s system of apartheid and other human rights violations enacted against the Palestinian people.
”The community expects action, even ACT Labor party members support action, but apparently this isn’t enough for the Treasurer to do the right thing,” said ACT Greens spokesperson for antiracism and multicultural affairs Andrew Braddock MLA.
In February, Mr Braddock moved a motion in the Assembly, calling on the ACT Government to divest from all corporations listed by the United Nations (UN) as complicit in the construction, utilisation and maintenance of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Today the Treasurer tabled his response to the motion, showing he failed to divest and instead wrote a letter to the UN questioning the validity of their process.
“In 2016 the Treasurer bragged that the UN had given the ‘ACT top marks for ethical investments’, but today he has decided he knows better than independent UN advice on human rights,” Mr Braddock said.
“While ACT Labor did amend my motion, they ultimately backed it, and should have followed through.
“Even Labor members supported the principle of divestment at their most recent ACT conference, where members voted to condemn ‘the operation of an apartheid system in Israel.’
“Divesting from the nine companies listed in this motion was the bare minimum this government should do, and we should be going further still.
This week Mr Braddock also tabled a petition from the Palestinian community making broader calls for solidarity with Palestinians. It asked the ACT Government to divest from arms manufacturers and ban commodities from illegal settlements from entering the local market.
Along with the local Palestinian and Muslim communities in Canberra, the ACT Greens are this evening co-hosting a vigil to remember those killed in the Gaza genocide.
“The Greens will proudly continue to actively oppose the apartheid regime illegally occupying Palestine and committing a genocide in Gaza.”
The amended motion passed by the assembly can be found here.
Details on the UN Commissioner for Human Rights’ methodology can be found in this 2020 report.
The Petition tabled this week by Mr Braddock is available here.