Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said some items had been sent from Australia to Israel in recent months but all involved equipment being repaired or modified so it could be returned for use by the Australian Defence Force. The equipment is not used by the Israel Defence Forces.
“Since the conflict has begun, we’ve been only approving export permits to Israel for equipment that is returning to Australia for the ADF – that is really, really important to say,” he told ABC Radio National.
“What we’ve been saying is that, due to the high-intensity nature of this conflict and the complex circumstances, we’ve been applying the existing export control system. And since the conflict began, no permits have been approved except for items that have been returned to Australia.”
In one example, a $917 million contract with Israeli company Elbit Systems, cited by the Greens as proof of defence exports, involved sending a small amount of armoured steel to Israel so the company could design a turret prototype to be fitted to infantry fighting vehicles for the ADF. The turrets are to be made in Australia.
The federal government has a $7 billion contract with South Korean company Hanwha to build 129 Redback vehicles in Geelong. Hanwha has signed the subcontract with Elbit Systems and has promised to use Australian steel from Bisalloy, which is based in the Illawarra region of NSW.
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In another example, Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defence Systems has a joint venture with Australian company Varley Group to supply missile equipment for use on new armoured vehicles for the ADF.
The federal government signed a $5.2 billion contract with German company Rheinmetall six years ago to make the Boxer vehicles in Queensland.
While Varley Rafael Australia will make launch equipment for the missiles at its base in the NSW Hunter region, the missiles will be supplied by Rafael from Israel. The government said this meant no weapons or components would be exported to Israel.
In a third example, the government said one Australian defence company had taken an example of its technology to a trade fair in Israel after gaining export approval. The item was returned to Australia and was not supplied to the Israel Defence Forces.
Conroy argued that halting all contracts with companies that supplied military equipment to Israel, if followed to its logical conclusion, would mean Qantas and Jetstar should not buy Boeing aircraft because the US company sells military aircraft to Israel. He added that the government did not support a boycott of Jewish companies.
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The government has acknowledged that Australian companies are making components for the F-35 joint strike fighter, which is made by Lockheed Martin in Texas and supplied to more than a dozen countries.
Brisbane company Ferra Engineering supplies weapons adaptors, which the Greens say include bomb-release equipment for the F-35. Melbourne company Marand Precision Engineering makes ground support equipment to remove and install the F-35 engines.
While a Dutch court has ordered a halt to its country’s supply of parts for the F-35, this appears unlikely to have a significant influence because Israel received its most recent F-35 from the US in November 2022.
Greens NSW senator David Shoebridge said on Monday that the “constant denial” from the government would not stop people from looking into the deals.
“The Albanese government relies on secrecy and misrepresentation to muddy the waters and distract the public from its role in the genocide in Gaza,” he said on social media.
Conroy said the Greens were making false claims about Australian military help for the invasion of Gaza.
“What the Greens have been doing is lying to the Australian public about Australia’s involvement in the conflict in order to further social division for short-term political advantage,” he said.
“You saw that last week when they continued to lie about Australia’s supplying arms and ammunition to Israel, and that is hurting our community, dividing our community, and it has to stop.”
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Greens leader Adam Bandt said last week that Labor was complicit in genocide, supported the slaughter in Gaza and had refused to call for a ceasefire, but the claims are at odds with government statements since October.
Australia abstained from a vote on a ceasefire at the United Nations on October 28 and then voted in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire on December 12.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for “steps towards a ceasefire” on November 12, drawing criticism from the Coalition, and made repeated calls for a ceasefire in subsequent months. She called again for a ceasefire last week, endorsing a proposal from the US to end the conflict and adding in a statement: “This war must end.”