The Australian Family Party is a strong supporter of Israel. Australia and Israel have much in common. Israel’s unique circumstances force it to be innovative and Australia should do all it can to embrace Israel’s great innovating culture.
Australian Senate March 2015 – Senator Bob Day
I ask that general business notice of motion No. 668, standing in my name and in the name of Senator Leyonhjelm for today, relating to the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, be taken as a formal motion.
The PRESIDENT: Is there any objection to this motion being taken as formal?
The PRESIDENT: The motion is not accepted as formal.
Senator Day: I seek leave to make a short statement.
The PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute.
This motion has received substantial backing from people across Australia who support Australia’s ties with Israel, and I would like to thank those people for contacting me and their MPs. I will not recite the terms of the motion, because every item is factual and uncontroversial. When it comes to formality on motions touching on foreign affairs, there are clearly no hard and fast rules in this place, as formality on foreign affairs topics has been permitted on no less than nine occasions in the past 12 months.
I put on record my disappointment over Labor’s obstruction of this motion. Due to a busy agenda, however, I will not move for a suspension of standing orders and a debate, but I indicate to the Senate that I am committed to securing a statement in support of our ties with Israel and will bring this matter back to the Senate, again, in the near future.
Australian Senate November 2015 – Senator Bob Day
Senator Day: I move:
That the Senate—
(a) acknowledges the Turnbull Government’s renewed focus on innovation and improved commercialisation of research;
(b) welcomes the recent Australian delegations to Israel, including a delegation with the Assistant Minister for Innovation (Mr Roy), to support innovation‑related trade with Israel;
(c) notes that the 2015 Bloomberg Global Innovation index:
(i) ranked Israel 5th overall ahead of the United States of America (US) in 6th and Australia in 13th place, and
(ii) shows Australia now has free trade agreements with the 1st (Japan), 2nd (South Korea), 6th (US) and 8th (Singapore) ranked nations;
(d) recognises that the European Union, the US, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and Turkey have direct free trade agreements with Israel; and
(e) calls on the Australian Government to explore the feasibility of initiating negotiations with Israel towards a free trade agreement.