The Claim
“Secretly changed voting position at the UN regarding the Israel and Palestine issue without telling anyone.”
Original Sources Provided
✅ FACTUAL VERIFICATION
The Abbott government did change Australia's voting position on two recurring United Nations General Assembly resolutions regarding Israel and Palestine in November 2013, switching from "in favour" to "abstain" on both resolutions [1][2]. The two resolutions were:
- A resolution calling for an end to all Israeli settlement activity in territories occupied since June 1967 [1][2]
- A resolution affirming that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to these territories [1][2]
The voting change occurred in mid-November 2013, with Australia joining 8 other countries in abstaining on the settlements resolution (while 158 countries voted in favour), and joining 5 countries in abstaining on the Geneva Convention resolution (while 160 countries voted in favour) [3].
Regarding the "secretly" and "without telling anyone" claims: The changes were not publicly announced by the government before they occurred. According to SMH reporting, "there have been no news conferences about these changes in Middle East policy" and the Palestinian community was not consulted beforehand [3]. Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek stated she was "surprised to hear about the changes...with no formal confirmation from the government" [3]. The head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi, stated there was "no transparency in their approach" [3].
However, the Lowy Institute notes the change was "as predicted" based on Coalition statements while in opposition, and Crikey reported the voting occurred "a fortnight" before the SMH story broke [1][4].
Missing Context
The voting change was not unprecedented in Australian foreign policy. The Lowy Institute documented Australia's historical voting patterns on these resolutions, showing that between 2004-2008 under the Howard government, Australia either voted against or abstained on these same resolutions [2]. The 2009-2012 period under Labor governments (Rudd/Gillard) represented the anomaly of voting in favour, not the historical norm [2].
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop provided a policy rationale. Bishop stated the change "reflected the government's concern that Middle East resolutions should be balanced. The government will not support resolutions which are one-sided and which pre-judge the outcome of final status negotiations between the two sides" [2].
The "quiet" nature was partly due to timing. The SMH noted the UN votes "have largely gone unnoticed during the past fortnight as the Australian media has fixated on the Indonesian spying crisis" [3].
This was abstention, not opposition. Australia moved to abstain rather than voting against the resolutions. This positioned Australia differently from Israel, the United States, and Canada, which voted against [3].
Source Credibility Assessment
The original source is the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), a major Australian metropolitan newspaper owned by Fairfax Media (now Nine Entertainment Co.).
- Credibility Rating: High. SMH is a mainstream, established news outlet with professional journalism standards [5].
- Bias Assessment: Media Bias/Fact Check rates SMH as "Somewhat Left" leaning (-12% bias score) with "Good" reliability [5].
- Political Context: As a Fairfax publication, SMH is generally considered center-left, though less partisan than explicitly political outlets.
- Assessment: The SMH article is factual reporting with attributed quotes and specific details. The framing emphasizes the "quiet" nature of the change and Palestinian disappointment, but the factual claims are verifiable through other sources including the Lowy Institute and parliamentary records [1][2].
Labor Comparison
Did Labor do something similar?
Search conducted: "Labor government UN Israel Palestine voting position changes 2012"
Finding: The Labor government under Julia Gillard also faced significant internal division and controversy over Israel-Palestine UN votes in 2012.
In November 2012, Prime Minister Gillard originally intended to vote AGAINST granting Palestine observer status at the UN (aligning with Israel and the US), but was pressured by her own party to change position [6]. According to multiple sources including ABC News and AFR, Gillard was "rolled" by Labor's left faction, former prime minister Bob Hawke, former foreign minister Gareth Evans, and backbenchers who supported Palestinian statehood [6][7][8].
The Labor government ultimately abstained on the UN General Assembly resolution 67/19 granting Palestine non-member observer state status—a position that disappointed both strong Israel supporters (who wanted a "no" vote) and strong Palestine supporters (who wanted a "yes" vote) [6][7].
Comparison: Both governments changed or considered changing UN voting positions on Israel-Palestine issues without full transparency or advance consultation:
- Coalition (2013): Changed from supporting to abstaining on settlements resolutions without public announcement
- Labor (2012): Changed from opposing to abstaining on Palestine observer status due to internal party pressure, despite the Prime Minister's preference
Both changes reflected the complex internal politics of Australian foreign policy on this issue, and neither was fully transparent beforehand.
Balanced Perspective
The claim that the Abbott government "secretly changed voting position" is technically accurate in that there was no public announcement or consultation before the votes occurred [3][4]. However, this framing omits important context:
Historical context: Australia's voting position had varied across governments. The Howard government (1996-2007) typically abstained or voted against these resolutions. The Rudd/Gillard Labor governments (2007-2013) shifted to voting in favour. The Abbott government was reverting to the pre-2007 position [2]. As the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council noted, the Abbott government was "reverting to the Howard/Downer position" [3].
Policy justification: The government provided a rationale for the change—that the resolutions were "one-sided" and pre-judged final status negotiations [2]. While critics may disagree with this reasoning, it represents a legitimate foreign policy position held by multiple Western governments.
Pattern across governments: Both major parties have modified Israel-Palestine UN positions based on internal political dynamics. The 2012 Labor internal revolt on the Palestine observer state vote demonstrates that this issue generates similar pressures regardless of which party is in power [6][7].
What constitutes "secret": While there was no press conference or formal announcement, Foreign Minister Bishop did explain the rationale after the fact when questioned [2]. The delay in media coverage (approximately two weeks) was partly due to the Indonesian spying crisis dominating headlines [3][4].
Key context: This change was not unique or unprecedented—it represented a return to Australia's pre-2007 voting pattern, and both major parties have adjusted their Israel-Palestine positions in response to internal political pressures.
PARTIALLY TRUE
6.0
out of 10
The Abbott government did change Australia's UN voting position on Israel-Palestine resolutions in November 2013 without advance public announcement or consultation with affected parties. This factual core of the claim is accurate. However, the characterization as "secret" and the implication of unusual or unprecedented behavior is misleading. The change:
- Reverted to the Howard government's pre-2007 position rather than representing a radical departure from Australian foreign policy history [2]
- Was consistent with Coalition statements while in opposition [2][4]
- Followed a pattern where both major parties adjust Israel-Palestine positions based on internal politics (as Labor did in 2012) [6][7]
- Was explained by the Foreign Minister when questioned, rather than being concealed [2]
The claim omits that the Labor government also faced controversy over changing (or being forced to change) its UN position on Israel-Palestine issues due to internal party pressure in 2012.
Final Score
6.0
OUT OF 10
PARTIALLY TRUE
The Abbott government did change Australia's UN voting position on Israel-Palestine resolutions in November 2013 without advance public announcement or consultation with affected parties. This factual core of the claim is accurate. However, the characterization as "secret" and the implication of unusual or unprecedented behavior is misleading. The change:
- Reverted to the Howard government's pre-2007 position rather than representing a radical departure from Australian foreign policy history [2]
- Was consistent with Coalition statements while in opposition [2][4]
- Followed a pattern where both major parties adjust Israel-Palestine positions based on internal politics (as Labor did in 2012) [6][7]
- Was explained by the Foreign Minister when questioned, rather than being concealed [2]
The claim omits that the Labor government also faced controversy over changing (or being forced to change) its UN position on Israel-Palestine issues due to internal party pressure in 2012.
📚 SOURCES & CITATIONS (8)
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1
Coalition takes a pro-Israel turn, no one notices for weeks
The Abbott government has changed tack on the Middle East, taking a more strident pro-Israel approach at the UN in the past fortnight. So why have they kept so quiet about it, and why aren't questions being asked?
Crikey -
2
Israel-Palestine: Australia changes government, changes UN vote
The Abbott Government has, as predicted, changed some votes on recurring Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolutions at the UN General Assembly.
Lowyinstitute -
3
Tony Abbott quietly shifts UN position to support Israeli settlements, upsetting Palestinians
The Abbott government has swung its support further behind Israel at the expense of Palestine, giving tacit approval to controversial activities including the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.
The Sydney Morning Herald -
4
Star chamber Government scuttles transparency & reverses Rudd UN decision on Israel/Palestine
Indymedia Org
-
5
The Sydney Morning Herald - Bias and Credibility
LEFT-CENTER BIAS These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording
Media Bias/Fact Check -
6
Australia to abstain from Palestinian vote
Australia will abstain from a vote later this week on whether the Palestinian territories should be granted observer status at the United Nations.
Abc Net -
7
How Gillard was forced to back down on Palestine vote
In the end, Prime Minister Julia Gillard was mugged by Labor’s old guard on a crucial United Nations vote on Palestine.
Australian Financial Review -
8
Gillard rolled on Palestine
PM forced to abandon her personal opposition to Palestinians winning a seat in the UN - despite threatening to exercise a prime ministerial veto and demand Australia reject the bid.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Rating Scale Methodology
1-3: FALSE
Factually incorrect or malicious fabrication.
4-6: PARTIAL
Some truth but context is missing or skewed.
7-9: MOSTLY TRUE
Minor technicalities or phrasing issues.
10: ACCURATE
Perfectly verified and contextually fair.
Methodology: Ratings are determined through cross-referencing official government records, independent fact-checking organizations, and primary source documents.