Liberal senator’s scathing dig at Mehreen Faruqi as Green takes extraordinary step of Albo for ‘taking selfies’ wth Trump because he is ‘participant in genocide’
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Senate for meeting US President Donald Trump and taking selfies with him, describing Trump as an “active participant” in the war in Gaza. Her remarks came during a heated sitting in which she and independent senator Lidia Thorpe sought urgent debate on Gaza, accusing the government of failing to act and of complicity in what they called genocide.
Faruqi called for Israel’s ambassador to be expelled, sanctions to be imposed and the two-way arms trade to end. Thorpe said Australia continued to supply weapons parts to Israel and was failing its international obligations. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called both senators a “disgrace”; Liberal senator Andrew Bragg mocked Faruqi’s comments about Iran, whose Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia. Faruqi cited more than 21,000 Palestinian children killed, while the article reports her claims and those of Thorpe as statements made in Parliament.
- Faruqi criticised Albanese for meeting Trump during his New York visit.
- Thorpe accused the government of complicity over arms supplies to Israel.
- Hanson condemned both senators during a heated Senate sitting.
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The Australian Senate is part of the country’s federal parliament, where senators debate national issues and scrutinise the government. Anthony Albanese is Australia’s prime minister and leads the Labor government; Mehreen Faruqi represents the Greens, while Lidia Thorpe is an independent senator.
The conflict in Gaza is part of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Australia’s relationship with Israel and the United States, including its defence and diplomatic ties, is often discussed alongside the conflict and questions about the government’s response.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A government meeting with a powerful ally can be defended as necessary diplomacy, even when the ally’s actions are deeply contested; public warmth may help preserve access and influence. Critics of Faruqi’s remarks could also argue that claims about genocide and Australia’s complicity require careful scrutiny, and that the Senate should debate them without personal attacks or dismissive mockery.
The case against
Meeting Trump and posing for selfies risks conveying approval or normalising his role in a conflict that has caused immense civilian suffering. Faruqi and Thorpe’s case is that Australia should use diplomatic and economic pressure, including an arms-trade halt, to meet its moral and international obligations; parliamentary debate should take those concerns seriously.