Anthony Albanese says he won’t be drawn into acting on the Middle East conflict by way of issuing sanctions just to “go for slogans”.
“What we haven’t done is go for slogans, frankly,” he said, before bizarrely asking a Canberra journalist what slogans she would like Australia to implement.
“What we have from some of the campaigns that have taken place is slogans,” he said.
“What we are about is meaningful action.”
He defended the sanctions imposed by Australia on Israeli ministers and noted that Israel is a democracy, unlike Putin’s Russia, which is an authoritarian regime.
He also argued that the sanctions imposed are appropriate and measured.
“Putin’s regime is not a democratic government. It is an authoritarian regime,” he said.
“We have, I think, taken appropriate action and it has been, as I say, sanctioning ministers in a democratic government.”