Today, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the Australian Government has imposedfor “involvement in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.
Sanctions can involve financial restrictions and travel bans imposed on individuals, organisations, or states.
Australia has previously ordered sanctions against people or groups in places like Russia and North Korea.
So, what are sanctions and how does Australia impose them?
Australian Government sanctions
Under international law, Australia only has the power to punish people who’ve done something wrong within Australia’s borders.
When people or groups commit serious wrongdoing overseas (e.g. violence, sexual assault, and corruption), Australia can’t prosecute them directly.
Instead, Australia has two choices: deploy the army overseas orthat affect any engagements – physically, financially or otherwise – that individual/group may have with Australia now or in the future.
Australia has levelled sanctions against thousands of people and groups, according to figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Some countries’ regimes are also subject to Australian sanctions, such as Russia, Myanmar, and the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Types of sanctions
: Prohibiting any business or financial dealings with a person who has been sanctioned.
Australian citizens, organisations, and companies are banned from giving any financial support to someone who has been sanctioned, either directly or indirectly.
E.g. When a financial sanction is placed on a person, any assets – like land, bank accounts, or shares – that exist in Australia will be “frozen”, meaning the sanctioned person won’t be able to access them.
: Banned from stepping foot in Australia.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
E.g. If a person who has been sanctioned tries to transit through Australia for a connecting flight, they could face being detained by the Australian Federal Police.
: Stopping imports and exports of goods and services from a particular country. This is when Australia designates a particular regime as harmful enough to justify sanctions.
E.g. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Australia has banned trading oil, weapons, and gold with Russian companies.
Why sanction?
Australia is obliged to follow the UN Security Council whenever it orders a sanction against a regime or organisation.
However, since 2011, Australia has also been able to order additional sanctions. This is reserved for instances where it believes there is “international concern”.
The Government will choose to impose sanctions as a way of preventing further harm. It also bans formal involvement between Australia and the sanctioned person, organisation, or regime.
Announcement
Today, Australia placed sanctions on seven Israeli people and one group named ‘Hilltop Youth’.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has accused them of engaging in settler violence in the West Bank, including “beatings, sexual assault and torture of Palestinians”.
She reaffirmed the Albanese Government’s position that “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace”.
Opposition response
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Birmingham told the ABC the Coalition has “consistently offered bipartisan support” for sanctions.
However, he criticised the Government for being “inconsistent”, asking: “Why has the government chosen to take this action in relation tobut has never taken any action in relation to China?”
Birmingham made reference to the Chinese Government’s alleged human rights violations against predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region.
