During a heated Senate session on Tuesday, Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of enabling genocide by meeting with US President Donald Trump during his trip to New York for the UN General Assembly. Faruqi criticized Albanise for taking selfies with Trump, whom she called "a warmonger whose barbaric ideas include threats to annihilate Iran," and a participant in genocide. Liberal senator Andrew Bragg mocked Faruqi's comments about Iran, while One Nation leader Pauline Hanson condemned Faruqi and independent senator Lidia Thorpe as a disgrace.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-13,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Mehreen Faruqi, a Green Party senator in Australia, sharply criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during Senate proceedings on Tuesday. Faruqi accused Albanese and his government of being complicit in genocide for their handling of Israel's actions in Gaza over the past three years, specifically citing "three years of mass murder of Palestinians" and killing more than 21,000 Palestinian children. She also noted that Albanese took selfies with Donald Trump during a trip to New York, referring to Trump as an "active participant in genocide." In response, Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation party, called Faruqi and independent senator Lidia Thorpe a "disgrace," while Andrew Bragg, a Liberal Party senator, mocked Faruqi's criticism of Israel and support for Iran. This debate highlighted the intense political division over how to address the situation in Gaza and broader Middle Eastern conflicts.
Written for “Australian Politics Row” on 2026-10-13,
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The mere act of meeting Donald Trump is beyond the pale for Mehreen Faruqi - with the Greens senator slamming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for taking 'selfies with one of the active participants of genocide' during his recent trip to New York.
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senator → meet → York
Faruqi made the extraordinary comments on the Senate floor on Tuesday during a fiery sitting where One Nation leader Pauline Hanson condemned both her and independent senator Lidia Thorpe as a 'disgrace'.
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Hanson → make → disgrace
Senators Faruqi and Thorpe both sought to suspend parliamentary standing orders and force debate on motions relating to Gaza, with Faruqi accusing the Albanese government of failing to act through what she described as 'three years of genocide'.
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she → seek → genocide
During a lengthy diatribe, Faruqi said: 'Three years of Israel's genocide in Gaza, three years of mass murder of Palestinians, three years of killing more than 21,000 Palestinian children.
'
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Faruqi → say → children
This government can't call these atrocities and war crimes what they really are, which is genocide.'
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which → call → atrocities
The Greens senator also targeted Albanese personally, claiming Labor had spent years attempting to silence critics of Israel rather than taking action.
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Labor → target → action
'I've said before that the Prime Minister has never met a billionaire he didn't love,' she said.
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she → say → billionaire
She then criticised Albanese's recent interactions with US President Donald Trump, while he was in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly earlier this month.
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he → criticise → Assembly
Mehreen Faruqi (pictured) accused Anthony Albanese of enabling a genocide in Gaza
Mehreen Faruqi slammed the Prime Minister for taking selfies with US President Donald Trump during a recent meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
'
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Faruqi → picture → Assembly
Watching him take selfies with one of the active participants of this genocide,' she said.
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she → watch → genocide
'Our government chooses to cosy up with Trump, who is a warmonger whose barbaric ideas include threats to annihilate Iran.
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ideas → choose → Iran
'
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg could be heard mocking Faruqi's criticism of Israel and support for Iran.
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Bragg → hear → Iran
'Excellent government in that country,' he said, in reference to Iran's ruling Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.
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which → say → Australia
Australian authorities have linked the IRGC to the 2024 fire bomb attacks of Sydney's Lewis's Continental Kitchen and Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue.
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authorities → link → Kitchen
Faruqi also described Trump as 'a sadistic con artist' and urged the government to 'name the atrocities for what they really are, a genocide'.
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they → describe → atrocities
She called on Labor to expel Israel's ambassador, impose sanctions on Israel and end the two-way arms trade.
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She → call → trade
The Daily Mail heard Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg mocking Faruqi's comments about Iran: 'Excellent government in that country'
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Bragg → hear → country
Pauline Hanson (pictured) said that Faruqi was a 'disgrace' following her speech
Shortly afterwards, Senator Thorpe mounted her own bid to suspend standing orders, using much of her speech to accuse the Albanese government of being 'actively complicit' in genocide.
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Thorpe → picture → genocide
'I'm proposing the suspension of standing orders today because last week marked three years of Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people,' Senator Thorpe said.
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Thorpe → propose → people
'This means three years of relentless, intentional killing, destruction and displacement.
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This → mean → killing
Three years of Israel using starvation as a tool for genocide.'
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Israel → use → genocide
The independent senator claimed Australia was failing to meet its international obligations and accused the government of continuing to support Israel despite the mounting death toll.
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Australia → claim → toll
'This country is just failing to act in the face of genocide.
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country → fail → genocide
It is actively complicit in it,' she said.
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she → say → it
'It continues to supply weapons parts.
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It → continue → parts
That's why this motion is urgent, because this government is supplying weapons to Israel to commit genocide.
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government → supply → genocide
Lidia Thorpe (pictured) said that Australia was 'actively complicit' in 'the act of genocide'
Thorpe argued there could be no more pressing issue before Parliament than the conflict in Gaza.
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Thorpe → picture → Gaza
'There could be no more urgent reason to suspend standing orders today and every other day than to act in line with our most fundamental human rights obligation to prevent and stop genocide,' she said.
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she → suspend → genocide
She also warned that failing to hold Israel accountable for alleged breaches of international law 'sets a dangerous precedent' and accused the government of refusing to take meaningful action.
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Israel → warn → action
Both senators' motions were ultimately defeated when Labor, the Coalition and One Nation voted against them.
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Labor → defeat → them
The Aporia
