# Crossbench bill would draw red lines on Australian arms

> A group of independents and Greens wants to make it illegal for Australian defence parts to end up in human rights breaches.
- Title: Crossbench bill would draw red lines on Australian arms
- Summary: A group of independents and Greens wants to make it illegal for Australian defence parts to end up in human rights breaches. The bill is a test of whether…
- Keywords: australian politics, arms trade, gaza, human rights, f-35, news, world, Crossbench, bill, draw, red, lines
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/14/crossbench-mps-launch-push-to-stop-australian-military-exports-being-used-in-human-rights-breaches
- Published: 2026-09-13T15:00:09+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: australian politics, arms trade, gaza, human rights, f-35, news, world
## A bill with red lines
Crossbench MPs including David Pocock and Sophie Scamps introduce legislation on Monday to outlaw Australian defence equipment, technology or services being used where they could breach international human rights obligations.
## The F-35 supply chain
The target is Australian-made parts for F-35 jets flown by the Israeli air force in Gaza, used to strike targets in close proximity to ground forces.
## Pocock's inbox
The independent senator says nothing else comes close in constituent mail, with thousands of emails from Canberrans about killings overseas.

> Of all the issues many people contact me about, human rights and the Gaza genocide is by far the biggest
## The government's defence
Penny Wong has called Australia's F-35 contributions non-lethal. Richard Marles calls critics misinformed, saying the decades-old deal is with Lockheed Martin in the US, not Israel.
## More than weapons
The package would also block investment tied to illegal settlements, create an independent anti-genocide commissioner, and force large companies and commonwealth entities to report genocide risk in their supply chains.
## Backers and the odds
Gillian Triggs and the Australian Centre for International Justice support the bills, which go to both houses this week. Labor is not expected to vote for them.

> This package is far from radical and delivers exactly what Australians expect of their government
## Key takeaway

The bill is a test of whether Australia's stated human rights commitments carry legal force at home, and Labor is not expected to back it.