A branch of the Australian Services Union has backed the Labor senator Fatima Payman, saying she was acting in line with the party’s platform when she crossed the floor to vote in favour of a Palestinian state. Despite federal Labor MPs and senators yesterday endorsing Anthony Albanese‘s decision to suspend Payman from the caucus, the ASU’s NSW & ACT services branch has issued a statement commending her “for supporting the Labor platform”.
The statement said: We call on all Labor politicians to uphold the Labor platform and recognise Palestinian statehood as a priority in their voices and votes in our Parliament and in United Nations forums. The Labor party should be focused on doing everything in its power to stop Israel committing genocide in Gaza, rather than focusing on its own MPs who speak up for peace and recognition of Palestine in accordance with their own party platform.