Senators Lidia Thorpe and Fatima Payman, who introduced the “Genocide Red Lines Package” in the last parliament, are working on a new version aimed at ensuring Australia meets its obligations under international law to prevent genocide.

They are hoping other Senators will support the bills, which are designed to create “certain minimum processes” under which Australia must comply.

Thorpe and Payman introduced the first version of this three-bill package to the last parliament, but it was not debated before the May federal election.

Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman, told Green Left the package of bills is designed to “stop fuelling the genocide and to hold politicians accountable” by preventing them from “signing up and aiding and abetting genocide here and abroad”.

“It is about not trading in any way, shape or form with any country that is committing genocide or crimes against humanity.”

She pointed to the arms trade with Israel as evidence that Australia is complicit in that genocide.

While Israel’s slaughter in Gaza has abated and more aid trucks are being allowed in, the genocide is not over. Even before the bombing stopped, Israeli MPs were threatening to resume their slaughter in Gaza after the Israeli captives are released.

Thorpe believes that Australia needs to make “fundamental changes” in the way it deals with genocide and........

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