The Victorian government has an agreement to collaborate with Israel’s ministry of defence. The memorandum of understanding signed in December 2022 has not yet led to any projects being undertaken. Commentators say the agreement is unusual for a state government and should raise alarm bells given the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
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TVTranscript
00:00 We haven't actually seen a copy of this MOU, but the Victorian Government have told us
00:05 that it's about increasing Victoria's advanced manufacturing capabilities and bringing jobs
00:11 to the state.
00:12 We've asked Defence analyst Michael Shoebridge to take a look at this and give us his take.
00:17 He believes that this is about Israeli defence companies wanting to set up in Australia and
00:23 sell their technology to the Australian Defence Force, but also other defence forces in our
00:28 region.
00:29 He believes that Victoria is keen to capitalise on that and get any jobs that may result from
00:34 those companies setting up.
00:36 He says this isn't about Victoria sending weapons to Israel because Israel has the more
00:42 advanced technology and really the relationship is vice versa, Israel to Australia.
00:48 That said, the Victorian Government has been very coy about this deal.
00:53 It's not publicised on any Victorian websites.
00:56 And in fact, the ABC did have to ask repeatedly to get a straight answer from the Victorian
01:01 Government on whether this MOU existed.
01:05 Government Minister Gabrielle Williams was out this morning and she was asked if she
01:09 thought Victorians would be comfortable with this deal.
01:15 And that part of the question she declined to answer.
01:17 Here's what she had to say.
01:19 I understand that an MOU was signed, a defence MOU, with Israel prior to the conflict starting
01:26 in October last year.
01:28 And I also understand, though, that since that MOU signing that there hasn't actually
01:32 been any sort of deal struck as a part of it.
01:35 In saying that, I will say more broadly that obviously our commercial contracts with businesses
01:41 or jurisdictions, particularly in defence, are highly sensitive.
01:45 And in light of that, I won't offer any more comment.
01:49 Human rights groups say this MOU is morally wrong and the Victorian Government should
01:53 tear it up.
01:54 I want to point to Israel's war in Gaza, where more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed,
01:59 according to Hamas-run local health authorities.
02:02 They're 70 per cent of those women and children.
02:06 They say even before the war in Gaza, so in December 2022, when this agreement was signed,
02:12 Israel was still accused of human rights abuses, so illegal Jewish settlements in the West
02:17 Bank and of restricting the movement of Palestinian people.
02:20 So they're not happy with this.
02:22 They say that they believe Victorians wouldn't be happy with this and that the Israeli Ministry
02:27 of Defence isn't a bedfellow that Victoria should have.
02:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]